The rivals are growing: After 18 years on Facebook there is a drop in users

The technological giant, Facebook, has faced a first-time decline in 18 years of active users.

Meta, the Facebook mother company, has said active day users have dropped to 1,929 billion in the last quarter of 2021, compared to 1.930 billion in the preceding quarter.

This company has warned of a decline in profits as it faces competition from rivals like TikTok and YouTube, since advertisers are also reducing spending.

After the announcement, the value of the Meta company's stock has dropped by 20 percent, the figure in cash being translated by $200 billion.

Stock value has fallen to other social media platforms, including Titter, Snap and Pinterest.

Chief executive of Meta Company, Mark Zuckerberg, has said that the company's growth has been damaged since audiences, mostly young people, have gone to rivals.

Meta, which makes up the world's second largest advertising platform after Google, has said it has also been damaged by privacy changes to the company's operating system, Apple.

The changes have made it difficult for companies to target and measure their advertising effects on Facebook and Instagram.

Zuckerberg has said he is convinced that investments in virtual reality will have its result.