The truth about a very real teen-appeal problem is revealed in the company's earnings call with investors. October 30, 2013 2:35 PM PDT (Credit: CNET) Despite repeated assertions to the contrary, Facebook finally admitted Wednesday that its youngest users really are losing interest in the social network. In its third-quarter earnings call with analysts, CFO David Ebersman addressed the matter of Facebook's teen appeal with the company's most candid admission to date. "Our best analysis on youth engagement in the US reveals that usage of Facebook among US teens overall was stable from Q2 to Q3, but we did see a decrease in daily users, specially among younger teens," he said. Facebook, Ebersman said, doesn't have an entirely accurate way to measure teen activity as the audience is known to fudge birth dates, but the company has developed internal metrics to look at teen usage. The reveal, which contradicts past statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives, confirms the anecdotal: Teens are tiring of Facebook. This story is developing.
The truth about a very real teen-appeal problem is revealed in the company's earnings call with investors.
Despite repeated assertions to the contrary, Facebook finally admitted Wednesday that its youngest users really are losing interest in the social network.
In its third-quarter earnings call with analysts, CFO David Ebersman addressed the matter of Facebook's teen appeal with the company's most candid admission to date.
"Our best analysis on youth engagement in the US reveals that usage of Facebook among US teens overall was stable from Q2 to Q3, but we did see a decrease in daily users, specially among younger teens," he said.
Facebook, Ebersman said, doesn't have an entirely accurate way to measure teen activity as the audience is known to fudge birth dates, but the company has developed internal metrics to look at teen usage.
The reveal, which contradicts past statements from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives, confirms the anecdotal: Teens are tiring of Facebook.
This story is developing.
