Teenagers show ‘true self’ on Instagram

Instagram is the favourite for teenagers when expressing their true self, follow their idols and keep up to date with the latest trends, while Facebook is seen by more than half ( 58%) as the place to interact with the family.

One in four teenagers share photos and images on Instragram ( 40%) – more than any other platform.

Snapchat is the main platform to share key ‘moments’ ( 44% on Snapchat vs. 36% on Instagram); Instagram remains the platform of choice for following celebrities ( 42% vs. 30% on Twitter, 20% on Facebook and 19% on Snapchat) and seeing the latest trends ( 35% vs. 22% on Twitter, 21% on Facebook and 10% on Snapchat).

YouTube has had a significant effect on who teenagers see as their biggest influencers. Seventy percent of 13 year olds and over subscribe to YouTube, with nearly two thirds ( 64%) admitting to talking about the product that a YouTuber has endorsed and 54% actually buying that product. UK teens cite Zoe Sugg (Zoella), Joe Sugg (Zoella’s brother) and Alfie Deyes (Zoella’s boyfriend) as the most influential creators.

The research was conducted by MediaCom’s research division, Real World Insight (RWI) and consisted of an online quant survey on 1,231 eight- to 19-year-olds.

Josh Krichefski, CEO at MediaCom UK, said: “Social media is a vast ocean of opportunity for almost anybody; singer, footballer, brand, and of course, your typical 2017 teenager. Instagram in particular, once a photo-sharing app for amateur photographers, is now a powerhouse in social media.”