Facebook Targets the Youth with New App

The only absolutes in this world is gravity, Kobe Bryant’s clutch factor, and the fact that you’re getting older. And as time passes you by, you begin to relate less and less with the “hot new trend” or the sound of popular music, and sympathize more and more with the ways of old. This may sound a little morbid, but for some of us, this is becoming all too clear when we realize we can’t quite understand why The Migos are so popular, or why Vine stars are now A-List celebrities. Making sure to stay relevant in the lives of all its users, old and young, Facebook just unveiled a new weapon for the bright young minds of the next generation with Lifestage. The designer of the app, 19-year-old Michael Sayman, is a tech prodigy that certainly has plenty of credentials. Learning to code at the age of 13, Sayman created his first app, 4snaps, a photo-based charades game before getting a full-time job with Facebook right out of high school, making him their youngest software engineer ever. Now, Michael wants to connect kids his age that’s exclusive to the new generation.

The app is a pretty simple concept, where users post bio videos describing their interests, and interact with other students in their school that are also using Lifestage. To keep its user-base to 21 and younger, anyone older than 22 using Lifestage can only see their profile and no one else’s. Additionally, in case any of those older creepers slip through the cracks, users can quickly block other profiles from viewing their content with a simple swipe. So if you’re trying to rekindle your youth with this app, it’s probably not a great place to start. Do you think Lifestage is what Facebook needs to combat Snapchat, or is it a dud waiting to happen?