Most Popular Social Networks Among American Teens, October 2013 [CHART]

Chart - Most Popular Social Networks Among American Teens

Some encouraging news for Twitter as it prepares for its IPO: it now ranks ahead of Facebook as teens’ most important social network, according to the latest semi-annual survey from Piper Jaffray. The study indicates that Facebook’s popularity has weakened considerably among teens: just 23% named it their most important social network, down from 33% 6 months ago and 42% a year ago. By comparison, a leading 26% of teens named Twitter their most important social network in the latest study.

That’s according to data from an AFP news report, and is actually down from the Spring 2013 (30%) and Fall 2012 (27%) surveys, but still puts Twitter on top due to Facebook’s rapidly waning appeal. CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the issue during the Q2 earnings call, saying that Facebook has kept its near-saturated penetration level intact among teens. Perhaps the recent privacy changes will have an impact?

While Facebook’s status as “most important” network has weakened among teens, Instagram’s is growing quickly. In fact, Instagram is now tied with Facebook as the second-most important social network among teens, at almost double its share of respondents (12%) from the year-earlier period. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.