As mobile devices continue to become must-have accessories for most Americans, the majority of today’s teenagers have a smartphone and nearly all go online daily, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.
Pew’s 2015 report on teens and technology found 73% of teenagers ages 13 to 17 own or have access to a smartphone, compared with 15% who have a basic cell phone and 12% who have no cell phone.
Widespread access to smartphones means more teens are using the Internet. The study found 92% of teens go online every day, while 56% go online several times a day and 24% go online “almost constantly.’’ Only 8% check the Internet once a week or less.
Among racial groups, African-American teens are the most likely of any teen group to have a smartphone, with 85% having access to one, compared with 71% among both white and Hispanic teens.
African-Americans also are the most likely to check the Internet, with 34% going online “almost constantly’’ compared with 32% among Hispanic teens and 19% among white teens.
As teens adopt smartphones, texting has become a key method of communicating. Nearly all teens with access to a cell phone or smartphone said they send and receive text messages, to the tune of about 30 per day.
When it comes to social media, Facebook remains the most used site among American teens. The survey showed that 71% of teens said they use Facebook compared with 52% who said they used Instagram.
Forty-one percent said they used Snapchat, followed by 33% for Twitter, although the vast majority of teens aren’t loyal to a single social media site.
Among teens from lower-income families (those earning $30,000 or less a year) Facebook was considered far more popular than other social media sites, while teens from wealthier families were more likely to also prefer Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
Data for the report was based on surveys administered online to a national representative sample of 1,060 teens ages 13 to 17 and a parent or guardian. It was conducted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9, 2014, and from Feb. 10 to March 16, 2015.
Overall, the study shows today’s teens have wholeheartedly embraced mobile technology. While Pew wasn’t able to compare the numbers from previous years because it changed the way the data was collected, researchers say trends are clear that teens are helping to fuel the digital revolution.
