According to research by the Global Social Media Impact Study, 16-18 year olds in the EU are abandoning Facebook in favour of the likes of Twitter and Instagram, as they desperately try to avoid the friend requests of their parents.
Older users are becoming more accustomed to Facebook and are just beginning to catch on to the trend of the social networking site. This in turn has made younger users more apprehensive about using Facebook, and are seeking new online networks that will be free from the prying eyes of parents.
Whether it’s a simple friend request from parents that is scaring youngsters away, or older family members posting embarrassing comments on their photos or sending them constant, annoying invites to online games, teenagers are turning their backs on the social networking site and are choosing alternative services.
If this is truly the case, could Twitter become the new Facebook? After the website adopted Facebook’s photo streaming feature and has more closer communication opportunities between celebrities and regular folk, Twitter is looking more desirable amongst teens, with the freedom of saying what they like without the fear of their parents commenting with humiliating anecdotes or spying on their every move.
