Pew Internet researches teens and technology usage

Smartphone adoption among American teens has increased substantially and mobile access to the internet is pervasive. One in four teens are “cell-mostly” internet users, who say they mostly go online using their phone and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer.

These are among the new findings from a nationally representative Pew Research Center survey that explored technology use among 802 youth ages 12-17 and their parents. Key findings include:

- 78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of them own smartphones. That translates into 37% of all teens who have smartphones, up from just 23% in 2011.
- 23% of teens have a tablet computer, a level comparable to the general adult population.
- 95% of teens use the internet.
- 93% of teens have a computer or have access to one at home. Seven in ten (71%) teens with home computer access say the laptop or desktop they use most often is one they share with other family members.

There are few surprises here as even older people like me use the internet in the same way. I have a desktop, tablet, laptop and smartphone. If I am out and about, I use my smartphone. I use my laptop for travel. I use my desktop for work and to write articles like these and my tablet is an expensive gaming toy. In other words, we all use our smartphones for a lot of different things but if you want to write, shop, watch videos or do mostly anything internet, it’s always better on a bigger screen when available. This research bears that out for teens.


Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Teens-and-Tech.aspx.