Parental Income Impacts their Children’s Choice of Social Network

According to an American study, the most popular online platforms among American teens depend on social classes. In that respect, teenagers from lower-class families are more likely to use Facebook.  

In late May, a study carried out by Pew Research Center (PRC) linked social environment to the choice of social networks. Upper-class teenagers prefer using platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram over Facebook. For instance, among young people whose parental income is lower than $30,000 per month, 70% say Facebook is their main network. When it comes to focus on family with an income above $75,000, it is only 36%.

Among the reasons for this social split, lower-class siblings may share their phone, which limits social network use. Additionally, Snapchat and Instagram are often left behind because they need the users to “invest” in a good quality camera. Thus, these apps cannot be used without Wi-Fi as their purpose is to be live, requiring an Internet subscription.

The social split in the choice of social network is becoming all the stronger as Facebook use is decreasing in the USA. Zuckerberg’s app lost 20% of the U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 over the last three years. They are today only 51% to use against 70% for Snapchat/ Instagram.

The study also points out the relation between most-used sites and gender/ethnicity. Girls are more inclined than boys to use Snapchat as their main platform while boys are more likely to choose YouTube. Moreover, white teens say Snapchat is their online platform while black teens identify Facebook as their most used site.

Pew Research Center is an unbiased fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world by conducting polling, research and analysis.

By Antoine Dewaest

Photo: Pew Research Center