• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, May 28, 2013

British Facebook users are tiring of the world’s leading social network, according to a new survey by YouGov, which found a 9% decrease in Facebook usage by online Brits between April 2012 and April 2013.

Ominously, one of the most common reasons online Brits cited for cutting back or leaving Facebook was that they were “fed up with social marketing promotions,” with the proportion who said this rising from 18% in April 2012 to 23% in April 2013. Meanwhile 20% said they cut back or left Facebook because they were concerned about third parties obtaining their personal information.

Other data would appear to corroborate the YouGov findings. From March 2012 to March 2013, the total number of unique visitors in the U.K. remained flat, according to Nielsen; more recently, the number of visitors declined from a peak of 30 million in October 2012 to just over 27 million in March 2013. Separate data from SocialBakers found that the total number of monthly users in the U.K. declined by 1.4 million from February to March of this year.

On the U.S. front, a survey by Pew found that American teens are growing less enamored of Facebook, although this isn’t necessary translating into declining usage. Teens surveyed by Pew said Facebook is losing its luster for a number of reasons, including the growing adult presence (70% are friends with their parents), over-sharing, and “drama.” The Pew data also show increasing usage of other social networks by American teens, including Twitter.