Facebook quietly unveiled a new app last week - an app to rival video platform TikTok. 

Lasso is a platform that lets users create short videos of themselves singing, dancing and miming to music, which is basically what TikTok is. 

TikTok has become a haven for teens on social media, and Facebook's competitor looks like an attempt to win over a proportion of the ever-growing teenage demographic online. According to research, only 51 per cent of U.S. teens still use Facebook, with YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat towering above the aging giant. 

Hello, fellow kids

Users can create an account using their existing Facebook or Instagram log-in details. Content made or seen on Lasso can be shared to Facebook stories, with Instagram story sharing on the way. Upon arrival, you'll be able to scroll through handfuls of short videos featuring people lip-syncing or dancing to popular songs.

“Lasso is a new standalone app for short-form, entertaining videos - from comedy to beauty to fitness and more. We’re excited about the potential here, and we’ll be gathering feedback from people and creators.” Facebook said, speaking to The Verge.

Facebook is currently laced with annoying TikTok advertisements. Perhaps the platform will be less keen to promote those ads whilst trying to - as its name suggests - lasso the teenage population for itself.

Lasso product manager Bowen Pan also tweeted about the release of the app. 

Today, my team launched Lasso (@lassovideos), a new video app that lets you create short, fun videos and share them with friends.

Check it out on:
- iOS App Store: https://t.co/2MngxBOem0
- Android Play Store: https://t.co/jpy1tgy8wT

— Bowen Pan (潘博文) (@bowenpan) November 9, 2018