eMarketer's latest findings show teens are engaging more with Snapchat and Instagram, and less with Messenger.

Messaging is so passé

The research firm calculated lowered growth projections for Facebook Messenger from 2017 through 2021.

Even thought Messenger’s 1.2 billion users proved to be championing the chat app market with a 7.5% increase since 2016, ages 18 to 24 are opting for Snapchat and Instagram.

eMarketer also predicts that Messenger’s user growth will be 9.4 million lower than originally assessed since its first-quarter numbers.

Additional findings

The age of mobile ad spending continues to flourish with $45.26 billion spent in 2017, expecting to account for 80.6% of North American mobile ad spending by 2018.

US users are predicted to juggle an average of 20.7 apps on a monthly basis, but may decline as people begin to focus on fewer apps. The app with the most flexibility will play a significant role.

The use of sports apps (up 9.8%), weather apps (up 7%), and map or navigation (up 7.8%) will continue to rise year-over-year. As smartphones continue to improve and apps add features, a mobile-centric culture of app and ad engagement will continue to gain momentum.

How do these stats add up for you? Are you surprised by the rise in usage? Let us know in our comments below.