Instagram was released on October 6, 2010. After twelve years it has been slowly becoming less relevant. 

Instagram trends are constantly changing and the features added to keep a lot of people interested, but recently it has been becoming less popular.  

“I use Instagram for about 20-30 minutes a day and I’m on TikTok for hours sometimes. I use Instagram less often than I did a year ago. I use Instagram less because I hate how they don’t do much about the bots on their app. It makes it less enjoyable,” freshman Mia Carballo said.

20-30 minutes on Instagram is way less than the hours many teens now spend on TikTok. 

“Something I still like about Instagram is how I can have a close friend’s story aside from my normal public story,” Carballo said.

This is a feature that Snapchat originally came out with that Instagram copied in 2016. 

“I was about twelve when I got Instagram and now I post on Instagram every 1-2 months, less often than when I first had Instagram,” Carballo said. 

The reason TikTok has more active users than Instagram is because TikTok has a lower average of ages that are active users. The new generation is hooked.

According to “Distribution of Instagram users worldwide as of October 2021, by age group” from Statica, 31% of users are 18 – 24 and another 31.2% of users are 25-34. 

Instagram has roughly one billion users.

ON TikTok, 25% of users are 10-19 and another 22.4% are 20-29 according to “TikTok User Statistics (2022)” 

TikTok also has roughly one billion users just like Instagram.

“I probably go on Instagram maybe 3-5 times a day for anywhere from 2-20 minutes. I was around 13-14 when I first got Instagram. I use Instagram less often than ever. I used it more in middle school, now I use TikTok most frequently now, but it used to be Snapchat and Instagram until about 2 years ago,” junior Kayla Mathers said.

Snapchat is a strong competitor as well against Instagram when competing for active users.

Many of Snapchat’s beloved features end up on Instagram like stories and filters. 

Now since TikTok is trending Instagram has added “reels” which is a feature that allows users to scroll through funny videos. Most are even stamped with the TikTok watermark. 

“I hate that everyone competes on Instagram for followers, likes, and comments. Sometimes it feels like a beauty contest, but one thing I like about Instagram is that I can keep up with my friends and what they’re doing and some content is really cool like sunsets and pictures from other countries,” Mathers said. “I rarely post on Instagram anymore, maybe once a month at most. My mental health is better and I’m busier so I don’t have the time to be on it like I used to.”

For most people, this is relatable and is why most people have moved on to a new addictive social media platform.