A new survey of young Snapchat users found that the app's messaging and story-sharing features are still the most popular — and nearly a third of all respondents said the best thing about Snapchat is that their parents don't use it. Credit: Lucas Jackson/Reuters Snapchat’s most popular feature is also its oldest, according to a new survey commissioned by entertainment publication Variety and conducted by Defy Media. Snapchat expanded its various formats in recent months, including new syndicated content from entertainment brands in the app’s “Discover” section and curated media from users at live events in the “Live Stories” channel, but its core “disappearing” messaging feature is still the most widely used by young users. Defy Media surveyed 1,117 U.S.-based Snapchat users between the ages of 13 and 24 in February, and 71 percent of respondents said they “only or mostly” use the app to chat and share “Stories,” or strings of “snap” messages, with their friends. Almost one-quarter of those surveyed said they use Discover, Live Stories, chat and Stories equally, according to the research. And just 5 percent said they “only or mostly” use the app for Discover, Live Stories or to follow celebrities and brands. [Related Feature: Why Snapchat is the next big thing in digital marketing] Snapchat is also the messaging channel of choice for 63 percent of those respondents; 59 percent of them said Snapchat is their primary app for short videos; and 41 percent said Snapchat is the main way they keep tabs on celebrities. Snapchat users prefer established brands Snapchat’s Discover section has 21 different channels, and Snapchat users view many of the channels managed by older, established brands more often than their newer counterparts, according to the survey. The most popular Discover channel was BuzzFeed (54 percent of respondents), followed by Comedy Central (44 percent), iHeart Radio (32 percent), Food Network (31 percent), ESPN (27 percent) and People (25 percent). Defy Media also asked Snapchat users what they like most about the app, and 48 percent said they enjoy the story creation feature more than any other. Video chat was next (37 percent), followed by the disappearing snap feature (35 percent), drawing, filters and stickers (34 percent), and friend emojis (32 percent). Snapchat is also still very much the domain of young people, and many users want it to stay that way; 30 percent of respondents said their favorite thing about Snapchat is that their parents don’t use it. Related content brandpost Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership opinion Generative AI in enterprises: LLM orchestration holds the key to success In the dynamic landscape of AI, LLMs represent a pivotal breakthrough. Unlike traditional AI, which demands frequent data updates, LLMs possess the ability to learn and adapt in real-time. This mirrors human learning and positions LLMs as essential f By Shail Khiyara Dec 06, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks How gen AI is joining the holiday shopping season One year after the launch of ChatGPT, the retail industry is embracing generative AI to deliver a variety of benefits By Elliot Markowitz Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Generative AI Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe