Facebook is popular and this fact does not need to be proved over and over again. But it is a worrying trend that teenagers are
engrossed in enjoying social networking but are oblivious to their electoral rights. A recent report shows that about twice as many 18-year-olds are registered with Facebook than are registered to vote. It is estimated that about 10.5 million 18-year-olds are registered with Facebook in the UK.
The Electoral Commission is now employing the same social networking site for creating awareness among teenagers about their electoral rights and duties. A spokesperson for Commission said, "The low voter-registration rate among young people is very concerning. Our own research, published earlier this month, showed that only 56% of 19-e4-year-olds and 55% of 17- and 18-year-olds are on the electoral register."
During 2011, 520,000 18-year-olds registered for voting, down three percent from 2010. Electoral Commission runs annual campaigns for raising awareness among teenagers as "Young people are an important group to target which is why social media has become an increasingly important platform for these campaigns.”
The report also highlights the importance of new technologies. Jonathan Westley, managing director with Experian said, "It is also vital to educate this demographic on the importance of registering to vote and explore how social media engagement could be part of this.”