Facebook Kills tbh, the Failed Teen App It Recently Acquired

The teen-focused app to be honest (tbh) was acquired by Facebook in its bid to win over younger users, which Snapchat was gobbling up. Unfortunately, it would seem that the biggest social media company in the world has given up on this investment just eight months following the deal. Facebook just announced that it was shutting down the failed app along with two others called Hello and Moves.

Prior to Facebook’s acquisition of tbh, it was gaining popularity among younger users due to its unique system. It basically only allowed compliments to be sent to others, thus providing a filter to prevent cyberbullying. The app even topped the Apple app charts for several weeks following its launch in September 2017.

Unfortunately, it would seem that it has since fallen from grace with Facebook, which recently announced that it was killing tbh due to low user counts. No exact figures were given, however, and the social network would only provide a general statement on the matter.

“We know some people are still using these apps and will be disappointed — and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support. But we need to prioritize our work so we don’t spread ourselves too thin,” the post reads.

Although it’s not surprising that apps fail, this case is a bit odd considering the meteoric rise of tbh. As CNN reports, the app was downloaded over 5 million times within its first few weeks of existence. By the time Facebook announced that it was acquiring the platform, it was only becoming even more popular.

Following its acquisition, the four co-creators of the app, Nikita Bier, Erik Hazzard, Kyle Zaragoza, and Nicolas Ducdodon, joined Facebook. According to a spokesperson for the company, it would seem that they’ll be staying on and will be assigned other tasks. These other jobs will likely involve creating new ways to attract teens to Facebook, which tbh apparently failed to do. Younger users have been abandoning the social network in increasing numbers, after all.