Snapchat usage soars, attracting parents and weirding out teens

When parents make it to Snapchat, so do marketers — or is it the other way around? The Wall Street Journal shares new data about the popularity of the social network, indicating that it’s starting to creep into the older generation.

Teens are finding the move quite “bizarre.” Alas, that’s exactly what’s happening, as the Wall Street Journal chart below indicates:

This shift into a new demographic shows up in comScore’s reporting, too. According to comScore, 38 percent of US smartphone users ages 25–34 are using Snapchat; 14 percent are 35 and older.

Is Snapchat following the same trend that attracted parents onto the social networks their children are on, the way Facebook built steam? Perhaps. But, as the WSJ article states, while some have claimed that parents scare their kids off of Facebook, such may not be the case on Snapchat, where the communications are a little more private.

Still, it’s no surprise that Snapchat is attracting parents and marketers alike. The WSJ report says that parents are checking on their kids and older adults are looking to self-promote — in one case, a 60-year-old woman is on Snapchat to market her blog.

How receptive are the kids to their parents following them on social media? Not so much. “It’s weird,” an 18-year-old was quoted as saying as his 56-year-old mother joined him to post cat photos.

That’s not stopping the parents. As more aim to figure out what their kids are doing online, more will likely sign up, and Snapchat growth will continue among the older generation.

About The Author

Tamar Weinberg

Tamar Weinberg is a professional hustler and author of The New Community Rules: Marketing on The Social Web. She blogs about all things tech, productivity, and social media customer success at Techipedia. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among other sites.