As Facebook changes reduce platform engagement by more than 50 million hours a day, experts note that Snapchat is reaping the shortfall.

Battle of the youths

Facebook can no longer rely on Instagram to maintain younger audiences, according to eMarketer, as 1.9 million users 25 and under migrate to Snapchat.

Market analyst Debra Aho Williamson notes that when younger users lose access to their Facebook account they are less engaged in the process of regaining their profile.

With over 2 billion global users, Facebook is still by far the world’s largest and most popular social media platform but has begun to plateau, with only a 1% yearly growth expected this year.

Three more years downhill

Within a six month period, this is the second time eMarketer has warned about fading Facebook interest.

According to Denver social scientist Julie Smith, Facebook is becoming known by younger generations as “the old people network.” Snapchat’s ephemeral quality seems to be better catered to teen attention spans.

2018 is expected to see a 5% decrease among 12-to-24-year-olds, which is a first for the platform. With a growing variety of social media, the guard could be changing, and it will be the new generation that ultimately decides.

Have you been engaging less through Facebook? Do these numbers ring true to you? Give us your thought in the comment section.