According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, Facebook no longer dominates teens’ social media use. 51% of American teens say they use the site, a lot lower than the percentage who say they use Youtube, Instagram, and Snapchat. What’s not clear is if this exodus is caused by their moms sending them an excess of baby goat videos.
This is a big turn around from the Center’s last poll, which surveyed 2014-2015, when 71% of teens admitted to being regular Facebook users. Another startling fact is that 95% of teens now have a smartphone, or at least access to one, while 45% say they are online almost constantly.
Despite this, the teens surveyed don’t agree on social media’s effects. 45% say that the effect social media has upon them is neither positive nor negative, while 31% say it’s positive, and only 24% say it’s negative. This is something of a surprise, given that we’re seemingly inundated with news of the ills of being online, until you think that maybe teens don’t want their phones taken from them.
Obviously, “teens” is a blanket term, and there are divisions within the group, not just in the school cafeteria. 70% of teens living in low income households say they use Facebook, while only 36% of high income teens do.
Perhaps the most surprising fact however is that 35% say Snapchat is the app they use most. Evidently, neither the wrath of Rihanna or the indifference of Kylie Jenner could destroy the best platform for sharing disappearing nudes.