Facebook Inc (FB): Not So Cool With Teens Now That These People Are On It

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) reportedly has a billion users, and sometimes it may seem like most of them are teenagers. There was a time not too long ago that Facebook was the place to go for teenagers to vent about their parents, share pictures of their latest love interests, or even resort to dangerous bullying. (No, we are not making light of it, just pointing it out). But according to a new survey of teenagers, it appears that the cool factor about being on Facebook has lost its luster.

And it seems that it’s not because “everyone is doing it,” though in seems that is the case with Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB). No, the cool factor has been lost because of this one demographic that is running the platform for all teenagers – parents. You see, if parents are thinking it’s cool to be on Facebook, then it must not be cool for teenagers to hand out there. That psychology is apparent in a recent study revealed this week by the Pew Research Center.

Image: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)

While 94 percent of teenagers have profiles on Facebook, the study revealed a trend where those teenagers are spending less time on that social network and instead are moving toward Twitter and Tumblr for their social networking.

However, many teens still consider Facebook a key part of socializing.

The survey results showed that while three in five teenagers keep their Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) profiles private, they seem to be very willingly sharing some of their personal information on the social network. For example, 91 percent of teens have shared a photo of themselves on Facebook in 2012, compared to 79 percent in 2006; and 20 percent of teens have made their cell phone numbers public on Facebook, which is up from just 2 percent in 2006. On the other side of the coin, only about 9 percent of teens expressed any concern about their personal information being shared with third parties.

The main reasons the teenagers gave for spending less time on the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) social platform are “drama,” too much sharing among friends, and the growing number of adults that use it – with 70 percent of teens admitting that they are “friends” with their parents.  What are your thoughts about this study? Does this speak at all to Facebook in terms of user engagement and, in some respect, revenue for the future? Give us your feedback in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: None