Are you relying on Facebook to reach a younger audience? Pro tip: don’t.
A new study from the Pew Research Centre in the US finds that, for teenagers:
- 93% use YouTube
- 63% use TikTok
- 60% use Snapchat
- 59% use Instagram
Keep in mind that this study was on US teenagers but I expect our numbers would be similar.
Where does Facebook sit on this list? 33%, down from 71% in 2015. Yikes.
What should you do?
Firstly, know and understand who your customer is. If 13 to 17-year-olds don’t factor, then you can ignore this – for now.
However, even if your ideal customer is in their early 20s, you should be paying attention to this.
When trying to reach your customers, it’s easy to do the same thing everyone else does. But what if they’re wrong? Don’t just follow the crowd; make smart, strategic choices that are right for your business.
A summary of the findings
1. Platform Preferences:
- YouTube remains the top platform, used by approximately nine in ten teens.
- TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are also popular, with the majority of teens using these platforms.
2. Decline in Facebook and Twitter Use:
- Facebook’s popularity among teens has significantly decreased from 71% in 2014-2015 to 33%.
- Twitter, now known as X, has also seen a decline in its teen user base.
3. Usage Frequency:
- About 70% of teens visit YouTube daily, and 16% report being on the site almost constantly.
- TikTok is used daily by 58% of teens, with 17% using it almost constantly.
- Daily use of Snapchat and Instagram is reported by approximately half of teens.
4. Online Time:
- Nearly half of teens report being online “almost constantly,” a figure that has doubled since 2014-2015.
- Older teens are more likely to be near-constant internet users.
5. Device Ownership:
- Almost all teens have access to a smartphone, while 90% have a desktop or laptop computer.
- Smartphone ownership is widespread across genders, ages, races, and economic backgrounds.
- Home computer access is less common in lower-income households.
Read the full article at pewreserarch.org.