Face Off: Is Facebook still popular among teens?
- Each week, two of our readers debate a hot topic in a showdown that does not necessarily reflect their personal viewpoints
- In this round, students discuss whether Facebook will continue to be relevant to the next generation
Facebook may have been a pioneer in the early days of social media, but has it lost its appeal for younger audiences? Photo: ShutterstockIf you are interested in joining future Face Off debates, fill out this form to submit your application.
For: No other platforms have Facebook’s functionality
Valerie Shek, 12, Independent Schools Foundation
Facebook is no longer the only social media available to teens, but it is still a popular social network.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project, whose studies have provided most of the sources for teenage dissatisfaction with Facebook, says that 32 per cent of American teens are using Facebook in 2022. This is not as high as the number of teens who use YouTube or TikTok. But still, the media reports of Facebook’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. It is still a popular social network among teenagers.
It is true that Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat have risen in popularity today. These fad social networks are fun but each has only one simple layout, such as photo posts on Instagram or small text blurbs on Twitter. Yes, they look clean and are easy to load, but let’s face it, none of them has the functionality of Facebook.
When you compare the other social platforms, none of them offers Facebook’s layers of information and capability to create things like event invitations, groups and photo albums.
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Facebook is still a wonderful means to connect, especially since it has become the social networking site for all generations including parents and grandparents. Teens may no longer see Facebook as being cool but it is still their primary tool for keeping in touch with older relatives. The newsfeed allows family members near and far to interact.
Moreover, with more than 2 billion active monthly users, Facebook allows teens to connect to almost infinite opportunities. Not only does it enable them to join groups such as “Hong Kong Teen PT” to seek jobs or internships, but it also enables entrepreneurship opportunities and helps us to buy and sell items.
Facebook provides teens with a platform to communicate school information, deadlines and assignments through groups and Messenger.
It’s clear that Facebook is still a useful social media platform because it caters to a wide diversity of people. So no matter how many teens think it is uncool, they are still using Facebook as it serves many purposes.
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Against: Facebook’s originality has faded away
Wong Hoi-yu, 12, St Paul’s Co-educational College
When we think about social media, apps such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok come to mind. Yet, what about Facebook? It was an attractive platform about seven years ago but its popularity has declined. There are three reasons why.
First and foremost, Facebook is now most popular among the older generation. According to its parent company Meta, Facebook had fewer daily active users in 2022 than in 2016, and its number of monthly active users remains flat.
Instead, other platforms such as Instagram attract a wider range of users as these platforms have more diverse functions. You can follow people’s lives in a more intimate way, by posting an Instagram story of where you are having your lunch or posting your instant mood with an eye-catching photo. Adolescents can feel more connected by just looking at a photo and a caption, instead of reading a long essay on Facebook.
Secondly, Facebook is now used for more professional purposes, for example, business promotion. Many users have complained that Facebook is now full of adverts, clickbait and misleading articles. Teens might see it as a tool for businesses to promote themselves rather than one for chatting with friends. After all, youngsters are attracted to more relatable posts.
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As tech analyst Ben Thompson says, “The problem for Meta is that its business isn’t based on surfacing content from your friends; it’s based on engagement and serving ads.” Therefore, Facebook might not be seen as a platform for chit-chatting by teenagers any more.
Thirdly, some people say that Facebook is still popular among teenagers because it has features such as Stories and Reels. Yet, these functions were originally invented by other platforms long before Facebook copied them.
For example, the idea of Stories first appeared on Instagram in 2016 while a version of Reels first emerged on TikTok. Facebook released those services only after teens had already got used to those brand-new platforms. Facebook couldn’t compete with those other apps, even when the same functions appeared on its site afterwards.
In conclusion, Facebook has lost its competitiveness among the younger generation.