Tween Girls Say Facebook is Not For Them

Beverly, Massachusetts (PRWEB) August 23, 2013

Tween girls have a special place in their hearts for Instagram and Google, but many of them feel Facebook is more for their parents, according to new data released by FashionPlaytes, Inc., as part of its FPgirl Market Insights Program.

While only about half know Instagram, those who do tend to love (33%) rather than like (12%) it. “It’s so fun,” said one girl, “and all my friends have an account.” Of those who don’t know it, about half (24%) have heard of it, while the other half don’t know anything about it (25%). Interestingly, only 6% say the Facebook subsidiary is for parents rather than kids.

Unlike Instagram, many young girls (36%) perceive Facebook as for their parents. “In my opinion,” said one girl, “Facebook is for older people.” The brand is well known, with only 6% saying they don’t know anything about it. Among those who do know the brand, about an equal amount love it (16%) and like it (18%).

Google is by far the most loved (69%) brand of those tested, with another 26% saying they like it. One girl put it this way: “OMG! It answers all my questions!” Less than 1% perceives Google as for their parents, and an exceedingly low proportion either doesn’t know anything about Google (3%) or has heard of it, but doesn’t know anything about it (4%).

Skype is unknown (22%) or fuzzy (21% heard of but don’t know much) to nearly half of tween girls. Only 5% think of Skype as only for parents. More love (30%) than like (23%) Skype. Comments about video chatting were plentiful, like one from this girl: “I LOVE IT because I use it to talk/see my cousins in Seattle!”

Yahoo! also has significant room for growth among young girls, as nearly half admitted they don’t know anything (20%) or much (27%) about it. Of those who do know the brand, there’s a lack of emotional intensity: only 17% say they love Yahoo!, while 25% just like it. There is not an age barrier, as only 11% say Yahoo! is for their parents. One girl described Yahoo! as follows: “I've heard people talk about Yahoo and I have a few friends with an account, but I don't really know anything about it.”

Very few tween girls know much about Tumblr. Fully 73% say they don’t know anything about Tumblr, and another 17% have heard of it, but don’t know much about it. “I don’t have it,” said one girl, “and I don’t know much about it.” Only 2% perceive the brand as “for my parents.”

Dana Stanley, FashionPlaytes’ Vice President of Research remarked, “For the first time ever the biggest online brands have insight into how the next generation – today’s tweens – perceive them. FashionPlaytes is the only online community where tweens are interacting and sharing their opinions in an organic and age-appropriate setting. We are collecting an unprecedented amount of brand preference information in a way that’s fun and exciting for tweens.”

This study is based on survey data collected in July 2013 from over 1,000 FPgirl.com members, girls between the ages of 8 and 13 in the U.S.

About FashionPlaytes, Inc.

FashionPlaytes is the creator of FPgirl.com, the online fashion and style destination where girls are designers and set the trends. FPgirl's Market Insights program pulls information from FPgirl’s community of more than 1 million tween girls who regularly post information, interact with each other and provide unique input via the site’s polls. The program is designed to provide previously unavailable information on everything from what girls wear, how and where they shop, and how they like to be entertained. Insights uncovered through the FPgirl Market Insights program gives brands a unique and unfiltered glimpse into what makes these digital natives tick.

Subscribe to the Market Insights Program at http://www.fashionplaytes.com/mp/insights .

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