Some 46% of Americans aged 12-24 claim to have ever used Snapchat, making it a more popular choice for this demographic than Twitter (36%), if survey results [pdf] from Edison Research and Triton Digital are to be trusted. The study – which measured adoption of 10 different social networking platforms – also found that 30% of 12-24-year-olds have used Vine. But it’s still Facebook-owned properties that take the lead among youth: 80% have a personal profile on Facebook, while 53% have a personal account on Instagram.
The results are interesting given recent research into adoption of these various platforms. While a recent Piper Jaffray study found that Twitter had moved ahead of Facebook as teens’ “most important” social network, Instagram was actually the fastest-moving platform on that measure, and could emerge as teens’ most important platform in Piper Jaffray’s next bi-annual study.
Meanwhile, it’s no secret that both Instagram and Snapchat are especially popular among youth – as shown by a recent study from the Pew Research Center outlining the demographics of the user population of each network (among adults aged 18 and up).
And of course, despite all the hullaballoo regarding Facebook and youth (specifically teens), it’s clearly still the dominant platform among 12-24-year-olds, as this latest study demonstrates.
Not surprisingly, given that youth have a greater adoption rate of social networking than other generations, the 12-24-year-old population tends to over-index in the use of most social platforms relative to the total 12+ population. In fact, they are more likely to use 9 of the 10 platforms measured, with LinkedIn the only exception.
The study shows some of the platforms to which youth have gravitated the most quickly:
- Having a personal account on Instagram (53% of 12-24-year-olds, versus 19% of the total 12+ population);
- Ever using Snapchat (46% vs. 13%);
- Ever using Vine (30% vs. 9%); and
- Having a personal account on Tumblr (22% vs. 6%).
Compared to last year’s study, respondents (total sample aged 12 and up) are much more likely to have a personal account on Instagram (19% vs. 12%), have a personal profile on Google+ (17% vs. 12%), and to have ever used Snapchat (13% vs. 3%).
As a result of its rapid growth, Instagram (which is the 10th-largest app by reach among smartphone owners aged 18 and up) now rivals LinkedIn, with 19% of the 12+ population having a personal profile on each. Also of note this year, slightly more respondents claim to have a personal profile on Google+ (17%) than to have ever used Twitter (16%).
About the Data: The data is based on a national telephone survey conducted by Edison Research in January and February 2014 among 2,023 people aged 12 and older using random digit dialing techniques. The survey was offered in English and Spanish and both landlines and cell phones were called. The data was weighted to national 12+ population figures.
