Survey: Most Facebook users have taken extended break

Brett Molina, USA TODAY | USATODAY

More than half of Facebook users say they've taken "vacations" from the social network for several weeks or longer, says a survey from Pew Research Center.

The survey found Facebook as the top social network in the U.S., with two-thirds of Americans claiming to be users. Of that group, 61% say they voluntarily stepped away from Facebook for a period of time.

The most common reason, finds Pew, is because users were too busy. The survey found 21% of those took an extended break because they didn't have time. About 10% said they weren't interested, while another 10% said Facebook was a waste of time.

The Pew survey offers an interesting perspective into user activity on Facebook as the social network pushes to beef up its mobile offerings. Signs that Facebook had reaped dividends appeared during the company's fourth quarter earnings report, with mobile accounting for more of the company's ad revenue. Also, Facebook's mobile daily users topped those on the Web, a first for the company.