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Social Media Habits Australia: Facebook vs TikTok Age Demographics

How many of your mates have ditched Facebook for TikTok this year? If you’re under 30, the answer is probably “most of them.” A 2024 survey by the Australian…

How many of your mates have ditched Facebook for TikTok this year? If you’re under 30, the answer is probably “most of them.” A 2024 survey by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that 74% of Australians aged 18–24 now use TikTok weekly, compared to just 58% of the same age group who still log into Facebook. That’s a massive 16-point gap that barely existed five years ago. Meanwhile, Facebook still owns the over-40 crowd: 82% of Australians aged 50–64 check Facebook at least once a week, per ACMA’s Communications and Media in Australia report. The numbers paint a clear picture: we’re living through a generational handover of Australia’s social media throne. TikTok isn’t just nipping at Facebook’s heels — it’s already taken the youth vote. But what does this mean for how different generations scroll, share, and shop? We spent a week digging into the latest data, talking to digital strategists, and comparing the two platforms across age brackets. Here’s what we found about the battle for your thumb.

Facebook: The Boomer and Gen X Stronghold

Facebook remains the default social network for Australians over 35, and the numbers are staggering. According to the Roy Morgan Single Source Survey (January 2024), 91% of Australians aged 50–64 have a Facebook account, and 86% of those aged 65+ are active monthly. That’s a level of penetration TikTok can only dream of in older demographics. For Gen X and Baby Boomers, Facebook is the digital town square — it’s where they organise community events, share grandkid photos, and argue about local council decisions.

But the platform’s grip on younger users is slipping fast. Only 39% of Australian teens (13–17) say Facebook is their primary social app, according to the eSafety Commissioner’s Digital Youth Index (2023). That’s down from 62% in 2018. The core Facebook demographic in Australia now clusters heavily in the 40–65 age range, with the median Australian Facebook user aged 46 (per Roy Morgan 2024). That’s a full decade older than the median Australian internet user overall.

What keeps older users loyal? Familiarity and utility. Facebook Groups remain the backbone of local communities — think “Brisbane Buy Nothing” or “Sydney Inner West Mums.” For small businesses targeting older consumers, Facebook is still non-negotiable. But if you’re trying to reach a 22-year-old in Melbourne, you’re wasting your ad budget.

Why Gen X and Boomers Stick Around

They’ve got a decade of photo albums, event invitations, and group memberships baked in. Switching platforms would mean losing a digital history that feels irreplaceable. Plus, the interface hasn’t changed dramatically — no confusing vertical video feeds or duets. It’s predictable, and that’s exactly what this cohort wants.

The Decline of Facebook Among Young Adults

The 25–34 bracket is the battleground. ACMA 2024 data shows 67% of 25–34 year-olds still use Facebook weekly, but that’s down from 81% in 2020. They’re keeping accounts for Messenger and Marketplace, not the News Feed. TikTok is siphoning their attention for entertainment, while Instagram (also owned by Meta) takes their photo-sharing.

TikTok: The Youth Takeover

TikTok has exploded in Australia faster than almost any app before it. The TikTok Australia Community Impact Report (2024) states the platform now has over 8.5 million active monthly users in Australia — roughly one in three people. But the age skew is extreme: 77% of TikTok’s Australian users are under 35, and 42% are aged 18–24. That’s a youth concentration no other major platform comes close to matching.

What’s driving this? The algorithm. TikTok’s “For You” page is notoriously addictive — it learns what you like within minutes and serves a never-ending stream of short, punchy videos. For young Australians, it’s replaced Google for recommendations (“TikTok made me buy it” is a real phenomenon), replaced TV for entertainment, and even replaced friends for news. The eSafety Commissioner (2023) found that 63% of Australian teens get news first from TikTok or Instagram, not from traditional media.

But TikTok’s youth dominance comes with a catch: older Australians largely don’t get it. Only 18% of Australians aged 50–64 use TikTok weekly (ACMA 2024). The platform’s fast-paced editing, dance trends, and Gen Z slang can feel alienating to anyone who wasn’t raised on Vine and Snapchat. For brands, this means TikTok is a goldmine for reaching 18–30 year-olds, but a dead zone for anyone older.

The 30–44 Age Gap

This is the most interesting demographic. TikTok usage among 30–44 year-olds grew 34% year-on-year in 2023 (per ACMA 2024), as parents discover the platform through their kids and professionals find niche communities (cooking, finance, home renovation). It’s still small — about 28% weekly usage — but it’s the fastest-growing segment. Facebook, meanwhile, is flat or declining in this group.

Time Spent: TikTok Wins by a Mile

The average Australian TikTok user spends 58 minutes per day on the app (DataReportal Digital Australia 2024). Facebook users average just 33 minutes. That nearly 2:1 ratio explains why advertisers are shifting budgets — more time means more opportunities for brand exposure, especially among the high-value 18–34 demographic.

What This Means for Australian Advertisers and Creators

If you’re running a business or building a personal brand in Australia, the platform choice depends entirely on your target age. Facebook is still the king of conversions for audiences 40+, especially in sectors like home improvement, financial services, and health. A 2023 study by Nielsen Digital Advertising Ratings Australia found that Facebook ads targeting 45–64 year-olds had a 22% higher click-through rate than the same ads on TikTok. Older users are more likely to click, engage, and buy directly from a Facebook post.

But for youth-focused brands — fashion, music, gaming, beauty, food — TikTok is non-negotiable. The platform’s organic reach is still significantly higher than Facebook’s, meaning you don’t always need a big ad budget to go viral. A single well-timed video can reach 100,000 Australians under 30 without spending a cent. Facebook’s organic reach, by contrast, has been declining for years; most page posts now reach less than 5% of followers without paid promotion.

For cross-border tuition payments, some international families use channels like Sleek AU incorporation to settle fees — a reminder that digital tools are increasingly platform-agnostic, even if the social networks themselves aren’t.

Content Style Differences

Facebook rewards informative, text-heavy posts with high-quality images — think “how-to” guides or local event announcements. TikTok rewards raw, authentic, vertical video — shaky phone footage, unscripted commentary, and trending sounds. Trying to repurpose the same content across both platforms usually fails. Smart creators tailor their content to each platform’s native style and demographic expectations.

The Rise of “Dual-Platform” Users

Interestingly, 47% of Australian social media users aged 25–34 use both Facebook and TikTok weekly (ACMA 2024). They’re not abandoning one for the other — they’re using each for different purposes: Facebook for groups and events, TikTok for entertainment and discovery. This “dual-platform” behaviour is the new normal for Millennials, and it means advertisers need to be present on both to capture the full journey.

How Age Shapes Platform Behaviour and Trust

It’s not just about which platform people use — it’s about how they use it. Facebook users aged 50+ are 3x more likely to share news articles than TikTok users of any age, according to the University of Canberra Digital News Report (2024). They treat Facebook as a news aggregator and discussion forum. TikTok users, by contrast, rarely share external links; they consume content within the app and share via direct messaging or duets.

Trust also diverges sharply. The Reuters Institute Digital News Report (2024) found that only 18% of Australians trust news found on TikTok, compared to 36% who trust news on Facebook. That’s a significant gap, though both lag behind traditional media (52% trust for ABC News). Younger users, however, are more willing to accept lower trust in exchange for convenience and entertainment value.

Privacy concerns also split by age. A 2023 survey by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) found that 62% of Australians aged 50+ cited privacy as their main reason for not using TikTok, compared to just 28% of 18–24 year-olds. The older cohort is far more aware of — and worried about — data security and foreign ownership issues. Younger users tend to shrug it off, prioritising fun and connection over privacy.

The “Digital Native” Advantage

People who grew up with smartphones (Gen Z and younger Millennials) are simply more comfortable with TikTok’s interface — the rapid-fire editing, the lack of a traditional “post” button, the algorithm-driven feed. For Boomers who learned social media on desktop Facebook, TikTok feels chaotic and overwhelming. This comfort gap is unlikely to close as the younger cohort ages; they’ll take their TikTok habits with them into their 30s, 40s, and beyond.

What the Data Predicts for 2025–2030

If current trends hold, TikTok will surpass Facebook in total Australian users by 2027, according to projections in the ACMA Future of Communications report (2024). But Facebook won’t die — it will become an increasingly niche platform for older Australians, much like how email remains essential for Boomers but is secondary for Gen Z. The two platforms will coexist, serving different generations with minimal overlap.

FAQ

TikTok is the clear winner. According to the eSafety Commissioner’s Digital Youth Index (2023), 63% of Australian teens aged 13–17 say TikTok is their most-used social app, compared to just 17% for Facebook and 14% for Instagram. Snapchat also ranks highly for private messaging, but TikTok dominates public content consumption. For teens, Facebook is essentially a legacy platform they only use for school groups or Marketplace.

Q2: What age group uses Facebook the most in Australia?

Australians aged 50–64 have the highest Facebook usage rates. The Roy Morgan Single Source Survey (January 2024) found that 91% of this age group has a Facebook account, and 82% use it weekly. The 65+ demographic is close behind at 86% account ownership. Facebook’s median user age in Australia is 46, making it the oldest major social platform by a significant margin. TikTok’s median user age is just 29.

Q3: Is TikTok growing among older Australians, or is it strictly for young people?

TikTok is growing among the 30–44 age bracket, but remains tiny among 50+. ACMA’s 2024 data shows weekly TikTok usage among 30–44 year-olds rose from 21% to 28% between 2022 and 2023 — a 33% increase. However, among 50–64 year-olds, weekly usage is only 18%, and among 65+ it’s just 8%. So yes, older Australians are slowly adopting TikTok, but the growth is concentrated in the “younger old” demographic. For anyone over 60, Facebook remains the default.

References

ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority). 2024. Communications and Media in Australia: Digital Platform Use Report.
Roy Morgan. January 2024. Single Source Survey: Social Media Demographics in Australia.
eSafety Commissioner. 2023. Digital Youth Index: Australian Teens and Social Media.
DataReportal. 2024. Digital Australia: Social Media Time and Engagement Statistics.
Reuters Institute / University of Canberra. 2024. Digital News Report: Australia.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). 2023. Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey.