Has Gen Z Dropped Facebook?

Understanding the digital habits of teenagers is important for any brand. Teens shape cultural trends, and of course, they influence household spending even though they are not earning significant disposable incomes. They are also, literally, the future of content creation and consumption. That's why businesses keep a close watch on how they consume content in the digital world, including social media apps.

According to a new Pew Research Center study, teens' use of social media is changing significantly. For instance, the percentage of teens using Facebook has dropped from 71 percent in 2014-2015 to just 32 percent in 2022. Conversely, the percentage of teens using Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok (which was launched in the U.S. after the initial survey) has skyrocketed.

While most teens continue to use YouTube (95%), TikTok (67%), Instagram (62%), and Snapchat (59%), Facebook becomes increasingly outdated for younger users. According to an internal Facebook document obtained by the Verge, "most young adults perceive Facebook as a place for people in their 40s and 50s."

Young adults describe the content they receive on the platform "as boring, misleading, and negative." Their overall perceptions of the platform aren't much better-citing privacy, impact on wellbeing, and "low awareness of relevant services" as top concerns.

So many platforms, not enough time.

There are now at least four strongly positioned social media apps contending with Facebook, and these are grabbing the never-ending attention of many young users. According to Pew's research, one in five U.S. teens visit or use YouTube 'almost constantly'. Over 20 percent of TikTok users and 25 percent of Snapchat users also report using their respective apps constantly.

Not only are teens spending more time on their favorite social media sites, the Pew study suggests, but the number of teens who say they are online almost constantly has roughly doubled from 24 percent in 2014-15 to 46 percent today.

YouTube reigns supreme, but TikTok and Instagram aren't that far behind.

Ninety-five percent of teens report using YouTube, but the way that they are using it could be radically different. Teenagers who put on a YouTube playlist in the background of other activities, for example, would be included in the 95 percent of users who 'constantly' visit or use the app.

Instagram and TikTok, which require more active engagement than YouTube, are neck-and-neck for teen attention. Last year, TikTok was the most visited site (While Instagram did not rank in the top 10), but teenagers do not seem to be abandoning this photo-based Meta app any time soon.

What should brands do?

• Reassess your Facebook strategy. While it remains one of the most popular online platforms, especially among 30-49-year-olds, make sure it aligns with your target demographic(s). For teens, Facebook is still more popular than Twitter, Twitch, WhatsApp, Reddit, and Tumblr. One open question is whether teens are abandoning Facebook for good or whether they will return to it as they, in turn, get older.
• Understand how platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram (and Snapchat, which just announced that Snapchat+ has over a million subscribers) fit within your customer's journey as well as your company's own HR & talent acquisition strategy. Decide where it makes sense for your audience to engage in long-form video content-or where short-form content fits the bill.
• Maintain a comprehensive communications strategy (Regardless of the platform). While one platform might have more weight than another at any given moment, your company should have clear and consistent messaging across many channels, but how you deliver that message may vary depending on how your audience engages with each app.

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