Not too long ago, predictions for Facebook’s future were dire. Research pointed out that the social network isn’t as popular with teens and college students nowadays as it was before. Soon after, reports about Facebook’s impending demise spread like wildfire, as claims that Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other social platforms were taking the big blue app’s place among teens.
Now, new research from Forrester Research indicates that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. Facebook may have lost a few percentage points, but it’s still the most popular social network, by far. The firm even discovered that teens still use Facebook more often than they check any other messaging app or social network.
It turns out that when Forrester Research asked 4,517 U.S. teens aged 12 to 17 how often they use sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr, Facebook came out in front of the pack. The firm asked the teens to say whether they check the sites “about once a day,” “at least a few times each day,” or “all the time.”
Eight out of 10 teens said that they check Facebook at least once a month and almost a third of them said they’re on Facebook “all the time.” The social network is also the most popular of the sites listed in the survey by far, with 3/4 of teens using Facebook. In contrast, only half as many teens use Pintrest, Tumblr, and Snapchat. The firm also said that more teens use Facebook than WhatsApp and Instagram combined.
The teens also said that they use Facebook more now than they did a year ago, so it would seem that things are looking up for Facebook, at least when it comes to keeping the young ones onboard.
However, Instagram was the second-most frequently used social network among teens. Meanwhile, Snapchat came in third place, a fact that could mean bad news for Facebook’s Messenger and new Slingshot app. Nonetheless, it’s clear that the social network is still going strong.
