Each year, NetWatch produces a report on the probability of locating social media accounts for people between the ages of 16 and 80, based on data gathered from every profiling instruction we have undertaken during the year. The report focusses on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, LinkedIn and Strava, as we find that these are still the most regularly used platforms, and therefore contain the most actionable intelligence, despite the recent rise of more niche sites such as Threads, Bluesky and Nextdoor.
A comparison of our 2023 and 2024 datasets provides some interesting takeaways, namely:
TikTok: An increase across the board
The probability of finding a TikTok account for someone increased across all age groups, with this being most pronounced for the 31-40 and 41-50 demographics. In 2023 we were able to locate a TikTok account in 25% of investigations on 31-40 year olds, whilst this figure rose to 32% in 2024. The corresponding figures for 41-50 year olds rose from 19% to 23%.
This likely represents growing adoption of TikTok among older demographics, and the platform maturing as it offers a growing variety of content, alongside additional features such as TikTok Shop.
Facebook: A revival among older users
Younger audiences have been moving away from Facebook for several years, and our data indicates that trend is continuing, certainly amongst millennials. However, there has been continued growth in our chances of finding Facebook accounts for older users. This is yet to reach the inflection point of it being more likely to find a 60 year-old (68%) on Facebook than a 25 year-old (73%), however our trends suggest that such an inflection point is likely to occur in the coming years.
General Decline Among Zoomers and Millennials
As touched on above, the data from 2023 – 2024 indicates that it is now harder to locate 22 – 40 year olds on all major social networking sites aside from TikTok and Strava. This could be attributed to general social media fatigue and a greater emphasis on online privacy, particularly amongst millennials who were part of the initial social media boom in the late 2000’s. Nevertheless, the rise in TikTok usage indicates that these age groups are still engaged with social media, just in different ways, and are perhaps shifting to more niche and emerging platforms.
LinkedIn Lagging Behind
A somewhat unexpected finding in the data was that the chances of finding a LinkedIn account during an investigation decreased across all age groups aside from 16-21 year olds. It is possible that increased privacy and security measures when creating a LinkedIn account (going as far as needing a government ID to verify your account) could be pushing people away from the platform. However, a more consequential factor could have been the fact that over the course of the last year that LinkedIn has been proactive in removing inactive accounts, or those which haven’t been verified.
A fitter, healthier society?
The chances of locating a Strava account saw consistent rises across all age groups, possibly aligning with a global emphasis on health and wellness. A platform such as Strava caters to more niche interests, and it can therefore attract both younger and older audiences in a different way to some of the more established social media sites, which as we have seen have struggled with retention. Strava has also improved its privacy offering over the course of the past year, closing several loopholes and therefore providing users with more peace of mind.
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Ultimately, the data paints a fascinating picture of how user behaviour is evolving across platforms. What is clear is that investigators need to stay up to date with demographic trends and changes across the social media landscape in order to provide the best possible intelligence to clients.
Our full report on the probability of locating social media accounts at every demographic is available for a small fee and consists of infographics for each age range. Please email us on enquiries@netwatchglobal.com if you would like a copy of the report.
