Bottom line: Despite its very long list of controversies, Facebook is still able to boast over 2.38 billion monthly active users worldwide—a figure that continues to increase, albeit at a slower pace than we’ve seen in the past. But it appears that the social network doesn’t have the coolest of reputations amongst young people, who are abandoning it for other platforms.
A survey carried out by Business Insider alongside SurveyMonkey Audience partner Cint questioned 1,884 Americans aged 13 to 21 to discover the social media use of Generation Z (those born after 1996).
When asked which platforms they previously used but don’t anymore, Facebook came out top, with 30 percent saying they’ve walked away from Mark Zuckerberg’s product. This was closely followed by messaging service KiK (29.7 percent), then Skype (24.6 percent), Twitter (21 percent), and Instagram (20.3 percent).
Participants were also asked which platforms they check on a daily basis. While Facebook might be losing younger people, it seems plenty are still using Instagram, which it owns. The photo- and video-sharing network was first with 64.59 percent of votes, with YouTube second (62.48 percent) and Snapchat third (51.31 percent).
The survey paints an overall picture of Generation Z preferring Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram over Facebook. Only 9.3 percent said they no longer used YouTube, while just over 18 percent have left Snapchat.
The results align with a survey from 2017, which showed that Facebook users in the 12 to 17 age group were set to decline for a second year, while a study from March revealed the company was losing US teens and millennials at a rapid pace.
