Photo-messaging app Snapchat is the most preferred social networking platform among US teenagers, surpassing the userbase of Facebook and Instagram in that age-category, says a new study.

In 2018, 16.4 million 12 to 17 year-olds are likely to use Snapchat, comapred with 12.8 million for Instagram, according to the analysis by market research company eMarketer.

Snapchat will remain dominant among teenagers till 2022, the report said.

"Snapchat and Instagram are the top social apps for teens, and this year they'll add nearly the same number of new teen users," the report quoted Christopher Bendtsen, Senior Forecasting Analyst, eMarketer as saying.

"Snapchat will continue to add users aged 12 to 17, while Facebook will continue to lose users in that cohort. In fact, we estimate Snapchat will add 1.2 million new users in that age group by 2022, while Facebook will lose 2.2 million," the report said.

This year, 11.5 million people in the US ages 12 to 17 will be on Facebook, down from 12.1 million in 2017. By 2022, the number of Facebook users in that age bracket will drop to 9.3 million, it added.

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However, Facebook continues to be the most used social networking app among US millennials, with 58.5 million users expected to use the platform this year followed by Instagram ranking second with 43.3 million expected users, according to the research. (IANS)