Teens Love Instagram More Than Snapchat

Instagram, the photo-sharing social media network operator owned by Facebook, has surpassed Snapchat as the most frequented social media platform among teenagers.

CNBC, citing Piper Jaffray’s fall 2018 survey, reported the survey found 85 percent of teens surveyed use Instagram at least once a month, surpassing Snapchat‘s 84 percent.  At the same time that Instagram’s popularity is growing, the Wall Street firm found teenagers aren’t that engaged when it comes to Facebook, with 28 percent of 15-year-olds using Facebook this fall, down from 40 percent two years ago.

Instagram is not just appealing to teenagers; it is also drawing more marketers. “Instagram continues to show dominance in selling, as teens overwhelmingly prefer brands contact them on Instagram versus other channels,” Piper Jaffray analysts said in a note, reported CNBC.

Piper Jaffray polls 8,600 teenagers across the U.S. for its annual survey, which is in its third year. The average age of the survey respondents is 16.

According to the survey, close to 70 percent of teens said they would rather connect with brands about new products on Instagram, with 40 percent signaling they prefer that brands connect with them on Snapchat, the disappearing messaging app.

In addition to Instagram, Amazon was well-received by teenagers in the survey, landing as the most preferred shopping site: 47 percent of respondents named it as their preferred place to shop. Nike came in second place at 5 percent. Netflix received the top billing for streaming, with 38 percent of teens saying they watch media on it each day. YouTube was preferred by 33 percent of the survey respondents, noted CNBC. Apple is getting more attention, with the Apple Watch named the second most popular watch among teenagers. While Nike remained the number one retail brand among teenagers, Vans saw a “staggering gain,” and there was a “rebalancing toward Adidas.”