Facebook released a startling statement this month when they realized a decrease in daily users, specifically among teenagers. So why is Facebook so worried when they currently have 1.2 billion monthly active users? The answer is simple. Teens are the demographic who point the rest of us towards the next big thing and that next big thing appears to be Facebook’s enemy, messaging apps.

Facebook seems to be a victim of its own success. Back in the day, Facebook was primarily used by younger generations to post pictures of their weekend antics and uninhibited status updates. Now, Facebook’s 1.2 billion users is made up of your mom, dad, and grandparents who are flooding your wall with embarrassing comments and liking every picture you post to their newsfeed…embarrassing.

Due to the limited privacy Facebook offers teenagers, they are switching to messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, to share content with their friends. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps with 350 million monthly active users (Twitter only has 218 million!). Messaging apps are posing a big threat to established social networks because they not only allow you to message your friends, you can also play games, send stickers and share music. These features have turned messaging apps into social networks and they have grabbed the attention of teenagers. It can only be assumed that older generations are soon to follow. Facebook- you’ve been warned.