Teens Still Prefer Snapchat Over Instagram, Report States

With the recent rise in enthusiasm for Instagram Stories, Snap Inc. has been in a dire situation thanks to slow user growth and increased competition. However, a new report might just give the teen-centric social media company hope as it reveals that so far, teens still prefer to use Snapchat over Instagram. If true, Snap might just have a chance at capitalizing on the trend to survive.

The new report came via eMarketer, which looked into the rate of usage across multiple social media platforms in both the UK and the US. According to the data gathered, users between the ages of 12 to 17 and 18 to 24 are ignoring Facebook more and more, and migrating to both Snapchat and Instagram.

Yet, between those two platforms, Snapchat stands the better chance of growing more users within this particular age bracket. So, while it’s true that Instagram has higher growth numbers overall, the future seems to be on Snapchat’s side. As a result, eMarketer forecasted that the platform will see significant user number growth.

“eMarketer has increased its projections for Snapchat usage this year in line with reported company data. The social network’s US user base is now expected to grow 25.8% to 79.2 million monthly. Growth figures have been adjusted higher for all but the oldest age group, with the biggest upward revision made to the 18-to-24 group. That young adult cohort will see usage escalate 19.2% this year,” the report reads.

As TechCrunch points out, Facebook won’t be doing too badly either since it does own Instagram. More to the point, the social network’s user growth will only increase as internet access becomes more prevalent in many places across the world. This report really isn’t meant to hint at any platform’s demise, but rather, provides a prediction as to what kind of growth Snapchat and other social networks will see.