Though teens think that YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram are eminently more hip than Facebook, they’re lying when they say they no longer use it. In fact, according to a report issued by Forrester Research today, they’re on it more than any other social network.
Forrester’s online survey of 4,485 U.S. residents aged 12 to 17 had more than three quarters admitting to visiting Mark Zuckerberg’s baby. (Well, pre-teen. It’ll be 12 years old in February). Moreover, 60% said Facebook was the social site they used most and one third said they were on it “all the time.”
Those professing the site was just for old folks were in the minority, as well. Though six sites finished ahead of Facebook in teens’ ratings of hip social media—among them Vine and WhatsApp—nearly two thirds found Facebook “cool.”
Facebook’s commanding market coverage keeps it a must-visit-daily site for teens, who rated it third behind Snapchat and Instagram for importance in keeping in touch with friends. Compared to teen adoption rates at the 80% level for YouTube and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter landed in the 50% range while Google+ and Snapchat fell below it.
Procter & Gamble’s Always brand was called out by Forrester Analysts for making good use of Facebook with its LikeAGirl campaign to promote positive gender images to teenaged girls. Gatorade, too, received props for getting 186,000 teenagers to take the company up on its offer to create superheroes in their own likenesses.
Table Source: Forrester Data
