Why Teens Are Moving Away from Facebook: Insights from a 13-Year-Old
Explore the reasons behind the declining popularity of Facebook among teenagers, as shared by a young New Yorker who prefers Instagram, Snapchat, and other social platforms.
Presented here is an insightful article originally published on Mashable, where 13-year-old Ruby Karp, a teenager from New York, shares her perspective on why Facebook no longer appeals to her or her peers.
As a teenager living in New York City, all my friends are active on social media platforms like Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and others. When I was younger, Facebook was the social media I longed for the most.
“Mom, I WANT Facebook!”
But now that I'm 13, everything has changed. Facebook is losing its appeal among teenagers, and I think I understand why. Part of the reason my generation is losing interest is simply because we don’t want it anymore. Back when we desperately wanted Facebook, Instagram was already popular. Our desire to join Facebook was mainly because our parents were using it. Nowadays, none of my friends have active Facebook accounts. They see it as a waste of time.
I created a Facebook account just to see what it’s like and how it works. Soon, I realized it’s not much fun without friends on there. My only friend on Facebook is my grandmother. Teenagers are social creatures—we follow trends. If one of my friends starts using a cool app like Snapchat, I want it too. We like what’s trending. It’s hard to call Facebook trendy these days, and teenagers don’t care about what’s not in style.
All our parents and their friends use Facebook. It’s not just that they comment on our photos with messages like “Hey, cutie!” but also that their presence causes problems. For example, I was invited to an underage party where alcohol was present. I don’t drink, but someone took a photo of me. Even if I wasn’t drinking, the photo might show someone else taking shots in the background. Then someone makes the unwise choice to post those photos on Facebook. My mom sees them and realizes I was at a party with alcohol. Even if it’s unclear whether I drank, she would be upset. This isn’t Facebook’s fault, but that’s how it works there.
Related: Generation Z – How to Live and Work With Them
The same applies to school bullying. Kids post things and discuss them, but parents often react incorrectly, causing problems. They just see a mean comment and tell us not to get involved. Again, this isn’t Facebook’s fault, but it happens there. When I was younger, my mom used Facebook as a personal space to take quizzes, play games, and more. It felt big but private. Growing up, I wanted my own personal space like that. But once I got it, everything changed — the introduction of the Timeline altered the experience.
Look at Twitter — just four buttons and a simple design. People love simplicity.
It’s also frustrating that Facebook has become a marketing giant. They use the things I’ve liked to show me ads based on those interests. For example, I see ads for new hair products from Pantene, but honestly, I’m not interested.
When I was 7, Facebook wasn’t what it is now. “Why change it if we liked it the way it was?”
In the end, Facebook overdid it. Teenagers don’t like it and are pushed away by it. It’s like when my mom tells me not to do something, and that’s exactly what I want to do. When she tries to make me do something, it annoys me even more.
We love doing things our own way. And whenever someone enthusiastically tells us about new super-cool features on Facebook, we just turn around and find a new social media platform.
We know Facebook needs us — teenagers — to continue its future. And we understand that, which makes Facebook even less appealing.
Despite everything, I still love Facebook and believe having a platform for everyone is a great thing. I hope they find a way to win us back.
*Note: Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are restricted in certain regions.
Discover the latest news and current events in Technologies as of 10-04-2022. The article titled " Why Teens Are Moving Away from Facebook: Insights from a 13-Year-Old " provides you with the most relevant and reliable information in the Technologies field. Each news piece is thoroughly analyzed to deliver valuable insights to our readers.
The information in " Why Teens Are Moving Away from Facebook: Insights from a 13-Year-Old " helps you make better-informed decisions within the Technologies category. Our news articles are continuously updated and adhere to journalistic standards.