FACEBOOK & TEENS
THE DOOMSAYERS
When Facebook acknowledged a decline in younger teens in 2013, it sparked numerous predictions of the demise of the popular social network:
•“Twitter surpasses Facebook as most important social network among teens” – (Piper Jaffrey Focus Group Study)
•“Facebook's popularity among teen users has been on a steady slide, with many complaining that its size, privacy risks and tendency to incite drama has made it a ‘Social burden’ teens” – (Piper Jaffrey Focus Group Study)
•“Facebook share of ecommerce traffic declined from 92% in December 2012 to 62% by Easter 2013” - (RichRelevance 4/2013)
•“Facebook “ghost accounts” may be as high as 100-200 million” – (SolarVPS Blog)
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE
While this was what grabbed the headlines, they failed to give a full, or accurate portrayal of Facebook. Dig a little deeper into some of these same reports and you’ll find:
•“94% of teens report having a Facebook profile, vs. 26% for Twitter” (Pew Research Center)
•“Of all social sites, Facebook produces more than 3X the number of sessions (4.31M) than the next social network (Polyvore 1.41M sessions). It also drives the most traffic, accounting for 60% of social sessions.” (RichRelevance 11/2013)
•“81% of teens report their Facebook profile is the one they use most often, compared to just 7% for Twitter” (Pew Research Center).
•“Total teen use was stable in 2013” (Facebook)
•“Facebook remains the most commonly used social network for teens” (GlobalWebIndex)
•“Facebook mobile shopping referrals tripled in 2013” (Shareaholic, 200,000 publishers with 250+ million monthly uniques )
•“Facebook site shopping referrals grew 58% over the past 15 months and continue to dominate.” (Shareaholic)
•“Facebook average performance metrics improved, +18% Click-through-Rate and +57% Conversions, +28% shopping revenue” (Kenshoo Ad Metrics)
•“Engagement rates for Facebook videos are stronger than those of YouTube” (although YouTube is 8x more likely to be searched for videos).
•“Facebook2013 year end reach for 18-24 year old segment increased 39% and represents the single largest demographic group for the social network.” (SocialBakers Study: 690 Facebook users/1847 Brand page activity)
THE TRUTH
The fact that total teen usage for Facebook remained stable despite declines in younger teens may not grab the headlines, but is arguably the most relevant point made by any of the studies, particularly in combination with reports of near universal penetration of teens. The SocialBakers study, is the largest study, and relies strictly on what teens did, vs. what they said they did and it provides a more positive portrayal.
The coolness quotient for Facebook could warrants watching. Reports of privacy, “drama”, and parental presence are very real factors in the world of teens and could ultimately take its toll.
When Facebook acknowledged a decline in younger teens in 2013, it sparked numerous predictions of the demise of the popular social network:
•“Twitter surpasses Facebook as most important social network among teens” – (Piper Jaffrey Focus Group Study)
•“Facebook's popularity among teen users has been on a steady slide, with many complaining that its size, privacy risks and tendency to incite drama has made it a ‘Social burden’ teens” – (Piper Jaffrey Focus Group Study)
•“Facebook share of ecommerce traffic declined from 92% in December 2012 to 62% by Easter 2013” - (RichRelevance 4/2013)
•“Facebook “ghost accounts” may be as high as 100-200 million” – (SolarVPS Blog)
ON THE POSITIVE SIDE
While this was what grabbed the headlines, they failed to give a full, or accurate portrayal of Facebook. Dig a little deeper into some of these same reports and you’ll find:
•“94% of teens report having a Facebook profile, vs. 26% for Twitter” (Pew Research Center)
•“Of all social sites, Facebook produces more than 3X the number of sessions (4.31M) than the next social network (Polyvore 1.41M sessions). It also drives the most traffic, accounting for 60% of social sessions.” (RichRelevance 11/2013)
•“81% of teens report their Facebook profile is the one they use most often, compared to just 7% for Twitter” (Pew Research Center).
•“Total teen use was stable in 2013” (Facebook)
•“Facebook remains the most commonly used social network for teens” (GlobalWebIndex)
•“Facebook mobile shopping referrals tripled in 2013” (Shareaholic, 200,000 publishers with 250+ million monthly uniques )
•“Facebook site shopping referrals grew 58% over the past 15 months and continue to dominate.” (Shareaholic)
•“Facebook average performance metrics improved, +18% Click-through-Rate and +57% Conversions, +28% shopping revenue” (Kenshoo Ad Metrics)
•“Engagement rates for Facebook videos are stronger than those of YouTube” (although YouTube is 8x more likely to be searched for videos).
•“Facebook2013 year end reach for 18-24 year old segment increased 39% and represents the single largest demographic group for the social network.” (SocialBakers Study: 690 Facebook users/1847 Brand page activity)
THE TRUTH
The fact that total teen usage for Facebook remained stable despite declines in younger teens may not grab the headlines, but is arguably the most relevant point made by any of the studies, particularly in combination with reports of near universal penetration of teens. The SocialBakers study, is the largest study, and relies strictly on what teens did, vs. what they said they did and it provides a more positive portrayal.
The coolness quotient for Facebook could warrants watching. Reports of privacy, “drama”, and parental presence are very real factors in the world of teens and could ultimately take its toll.
While teens are undoubtedly using multiple platforms, they are also sticking with Facebook. There were fluctuations during the year, but teens ended the year where they started. The continued growth of the 18-24 segment amid the increasing number of social platforms is another very positive indicator of Facebook’s vitality.
It’s also important to note that many of these studies separate Facebook mobile app activity from site activity, so it is also possible, even likely that teens are shifting access to Facebook to mobile devices. We all know that teens are heavy mobile users and Facebook Mobile is second only to the Facebook site in teen usage. Facebook Mobile is also one of the fastest growing apps and in absolute numbers, added more teen users than any other social app.
It’s also important to note that many of these studies separate Facebook mobile app activity from site activity, so it is also possible, even likely that teens are shifting access to Facebook to mobile devices. We all know that teens are heavy mobile users and Facebook Mobile is second only to the Facebook site in teen usage. Facebook Mobile is also one of the fastest growing apps and in absolute numbers, added more teen users than any other social app.
A GfK study provides an excellent summary. GfK reports a 72% increase in the amount of time teens spent online via their smart phones in the past year, to more than an hour per day. The rapid growth, albeit on a comparatively small base for Instagram and Pinterest along with their distinctly younger user skews may have made a dent in that sub-segment, but they are a long way from being providing the same access to teens.
