Snapchat and Instagram favoured by teenagers as Twitter struggles

Teenagers nowadays prefer Snapchat and Instagram over the likes of Facebook and Twitter, new research has shown.

Advertisers are increasingly looking towards social media trends amongst teenagers and millennials in order to decide where to place products and services, with the photo-focused apps proving to be most popular at the moment, according to the survey by The Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Advertisers are increasingly looking towards social media trends amongst teenagers and millennials

Facebook-owned Instagram proved to be the most popular social media experience with those aged between 13 and 17, with 76% of the teenagers surveyed saying they used the photo sharing site. It was closely followed by Snapchat, with 75% of teens using the picture-messaging app, whose parent company Snap Inc floated on the New York Stock Exchange in March.

Only 47% of the teens involved in the research admitted to using microblogging site Twitter, which has struggled with user growth in recent times in the face of increased competition.

"Understanding how teenagers use devices like tablets, desktops, and laptops may seem like old news," said Amanda Lenhart, senior research scientist at The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and a co-author of the report.

"But the varying degrees of access of different groups to these platforms have implications for education and future facility with tech tools, including those needed for the workplace."