Myth: The Only way to Reach Teens over Their Phone is Texting?

Increasingly, the mobile phone plays a critical role in the media lives of teens. In the U.S., 77% of teens already have their own mobile phone. Another 11% say they regularly borrow one.

Of all the mobile behaviors of teens, texting is most talked about.

• Fingers flying and phone cameras flashing, 83% of U.S. mobile teens use text-messaging and 56% use MMS/picture messaging.


• The average number of texts has gone up 566% in just two years, far surpassing the average number of calls, which has stayed nearly steady.


• In 1st quarter of 2009, the average U.S. mobile teen now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text-messages per month compared to 191 calls.


• In 3rd quarter of 2009, American teenagers are using 3,146 messages a month, which translates into more than 10 messages every hour of the month that they are not sleeping or in school.


• More than half of all U.S. teen mobile subscribers (66%) say they actually prefer text-messaging to calling. Thirty-four percent say it’s the reason they got their phone.

Read the whole report "How Teens Use Media [2]", and related blog post Under-aged Texting: Usage and Actual Cost [3].

Posted by

Sui Zhang [4]