Most online teens (90%) use at least one social networking site—with Facebook still their top social destination—but nearly one-fifth (19%) of teens who have created a Facebook profile say they no longer visit the social site or are using it less, according to a survey from Roiworld.
Most of those lapsed users have simply lost interest: 45% of surveyed teens (age 13-17) who are now using Facebook less or no longer at all cite loss of interest as their primary reason for doing so; 28% say they are more interested in other sites.
Some teens complain about too much activity on Facebook: 27% cite too many notifications, 21% say they got tired of keeping up with Facebook activity, and 20% cite too many ads.
Over one out of five teens (21%) say most or all of their friends no longer use Facebook, and 16% have left because their parents have joined.
Below, other findings from the Teens and Social Networks Study by Roiworld.
Social Networking Preferences
On average, teens spend 2 hours and 20 minutes per day online, of which 80% is spent using a social networking site, or roughly 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Though interest in Facebook may be waning, it's still the most popular social site among teens, registering lower churn levels among that demographic than YouTube and MySpace, which are ranked second and third in popularity, respectively:
- Facebook: 69% of teens say they have created a profile on Facebook and continue to use it; an additional 9% have or had a profile but have stopped using it.
- YouTube: 64% of teens have a YouTube profile and continue to use it; another 15% have stopped using it.
- MySpace: 41% have a profile and still use it; another 22% have stopped using MySpace.
Twitter, WLS (Windows Live Spaces), Pandora, Gaia Online, and Club Penguin are also popular among teens.
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Gaming a Key Driver of Teen Social Net Use, Spending
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of online teens play games on the Internet at least one hour a week—and 81% of teen Facebook users play games on that site. Moreover, roughly one-third (35%) of teen Facebook users spend more than 50% of their time on Facebook playing online games.
Some 43% of teens with a social networking profile say they have spent money on a social site. Games garner most of the social network spending among teens.
Most purchase items such as currency for virtual items (35%), music (33%), avatar accessories (30%), and points to advance in a game (23%).
Nearly one-half (49%) of social networking spenders say they have an allowance for such expenditures.
Among teens who have not purchased anything from a social networking site, 64% say they have not done so because it's a waste of money. Access to money is an issue for some teens: 34% say it's because they don't have a credit card, whereas 32% say their parents don't like that they spend money on such things.
About the data: Findings are from a survey of 600 teens (300 boys and 300 girls) age 13-17, conducted by Roiworld, using OTX's online sample community, April 26-29, 2010.
