Thumbs down: Teens really are ditching Facebook

The speculation surrounding the popularity of Facebook among teens has become a hot topic over the last few months.

While some are claiming that teenagers are ditching the former king of social networks in favour of newer platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, others are adamant that Facebook is still very much afloat.

So what really is going on?

A new US report from iStrategyLabs reveals that Facebook’s once loyal teens do indeed appear to be jumping ship, with figures showing that between January 2011 and January 2014, the number of 13-17 year olds that use Facebook has dropped from 13.1 million to 9.8 million – a sizeable 25% decrease.

The next generation also appear to be leaving the platform behind, with 18-25 year olds declining over the same time period from 45.4 million to 42 million.

However, all is not lost for the platform, which came to life way back when in 2004.

The number of 25-55+ year olds using Facebook has increased significantly since 2011, particularly among 35-54 year old demographic, whose user-base has risen from 39.6 million to 56 million.

Those over 55 are seemingly becoming more technologically savvy too, now boasting a user-base of 28 million (up 80%) – almost three times the amount of those between 13 and 17.

Chin up, Facebook. You may be losing your street-cred among teens, but at least my mum still likes you.

Chart: Statista