Facebook losing its appeal with teens

Facebook is losing its swagger with young users, who are increasingly migrating to rival platforms including Snap’s platform Snapchat, according to a new study.

Facebook will lose 2-million users under 25 in the US in 2018, while Snapchat will add 1.9-million, EMarketer said on Monday, citing its own report. Facebook use among children younger than 12 will drop more than 9%, with declines of about 6% each among 12- to 17-year-olds and 18- to 24-year-olds.

In the UK, 71% of social network users between 12 years and 17 years old will be using Facebook regularly in 2018, a downgrade of 8 points from 2017’s forecast, EMarketer said.

Snapchat will get log-ins from 43% of UK social networkers in 2018, more than double the number three years ago.

Facebook has tried to stem the exodus to Snapchat with a new version of its Messenger app for children.

While the overall number of Facebook users will reach 169.5-million in the US and 32.6-million in the UK in 2018, the drop among younger users means Facebook’s “teen issue” is more than just a theory, said EMarketer analyst Bill Fisher.

“There are now some early signs that younger social networkers are being swayed by Snapchat,” Fisher said.

“The challenge and opportunity for Snap is how to appeal beyond that core youth demographic.”