Teens Ditching Facebook for YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on USA Today.

More teens are splitting up with Facebook, choosing to spend their social media time on rivals including Snapchat and YouTube.

A survey from Pew Research Center finds 51% of teens (ages 13-17) still use Facebook, a sharp drop from the 71% of teens who said they used the social network three years ago.

Facebook usage lags behind rivals such as YouTube, where 85% of teens say they  spend their time. Facebook-owned Instagram is next at 72%, followed by Snapchat at 69%.

The survey showed only 10% of teens said they used Facebook most often, compared to 32% for YouTube and 35% for Snapchat.

No matter the platform, teens are spending nearly all their time online. The survey showed 45% of teens said they are online almost constantly, while another 44% said they’re online several times a day. Only 11% said they were online less often.

Teens online usage has been a subject of many critics who question whether all this access to smartphones and social media are healthy for teens. Last year, a joint study by researchers from San Diego State and Florida State universities found nearly half of teens with five or more hours of screen time a day experienced thoughts of suicide or prolonged periods of hopelessness or sadness.

However, teens seem to have mixed views on how impactful social media is on their lives, the survey suggests. Only 24% said it has mostly a negative impact, while 31% said it’s mostly positive.

Source: USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/05/31/facebook-teens-youtube-instagram-snapchat/659712002/