Forget Facebook: The New Social Networks Young People Really Use

Teens are turning away from Facebook to newer apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Facebook is seen as “uncool”, according to University College London researchers.

Professor Daniel Miller, who led the research said, “The young are moving on to cooler things. What appears to be the most seminal moment in a young person's decision to leave Facebook is surely that dreaded day when Mum sends you a friend request."

Many of the new networks popular with young people are built for smartphones, not PCs. Messaging services such as WhatsApp, BBM and Snapchat can only be accessed via apps, rather than web browsers.

Below is a guide to the social networks, sites and apps popular among youngsters, and what they’re all about.

WhatsApp

Messaging service WhatsApp (now owned by Facebook, ironically) is the most popular network with youngsters after Facebook. WhatsApp is used by 40% of 8-16-year-olds according to British online advice site KnowtheNet.

It’s a much simpler service, where you send free text messages, images, audio and video messages to friends.

The app is available for Windows Phone, iOS and Android (for Yahoo’s explanation of the difference between the three operating systems, click here), as well as BlackBerry devices.

The service has 600 million users worldwide. It’s popular with youngsters because it works with your phone’s address book, and you can instantly send messages to other friends with the app, without paying for each message your phone bill. You will still pay for any data used, of course.

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Snapchat

Snapchat is used by 11% of eight to 16-year-olds in the UK. The messaging service allows users to send messages, known as Snaps, which can include photos, video, text and drawings, which then automatically delete themselves afterwards.

Users send Snaps to a chosen list of friends, and select how long they wish messages to be viewable for, with a time limit of one to ten seconds.

The app, available for iOS and Android, allows users to take screenshots if they wish, so that, for instance, users can trade locations and to-do lists. The images are still deleted from Snapchat’s servers.

The appeal to young people is privacy. Snapchat claim that 350 million images are sent via the service every day, and claim to have turned down a $3.2 billion buyout offer from Facebook.

The UCL study found that Snapchat tended to be used among close friends, whereas messaging services such as WhatsApp were used with acquaintances.

The cons of this service is that even though the image self deletes, receivers CAN screen grab them before they disappear. The app does alert the sender but that’s all you can do. This could lead to embarrassing situations.

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Tumblr

Tumblr is often described as a “micro-blogging” site, letting users post images and text and share them with friends or the public. An online survey found that 61% of 13-19-year-olds rated the site as their favourite social network in 2013.

Half of Tumblr’s users are under 25, according to comScore, and celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Zooey Deschanel post on the site.

Teenagers often use Tumblr to share pictures among friends, rather than to seek fame as bloggers in their own right. While many Tumblr users use the site to share images or video on a certain theme, teenagers often use it simply to stay in touch.

Users can “follow” one another, much as on Facebook, but are free to create several different Tumblr blogs, and to share them with the public, or keep them friends-only, as they desire.

The site works via web browser, or via apps for iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Ask.fm

This simple social network allows you to ask questions, such as, “What is your favourite children’s story?” and receive answers either from friends or the public. The site estimates that 20,000 questions are answered every minute.

It’s popular with youngsters, with 8% of 8-16-year-olds in the UK using the service. Users can ask questions anonymously, or with their name attached. Users who don’t want to receive anonymous questions can block these.

Users can answer questions with images, texts or video, and can find friends via Facebook or Twitter. Ask.fm is available as an app for iOS and Android, as well as via web browser on PC.

The site faced controversy after it was linked to cyberbullying and teenage suicides in 2013. Since that point, the site has partnered with safety groups including the Internet Watch Foundation to work on ways to prevent users being bullied.

The site’s Safety Centre now offers a way for young users to learn about privacy and security on the site, and to contact safety groups or site operators. For parents, a detailed guide to how the site works can be found here.