User Demographics

From heart emojis on Instagram to saying goodbye to a relationship with a text message, digital technology plays an important role in teen relationships.

Some 73% of online men use social media, on par with the 80% of online women who say they do so. But there are still some gender differences on specific platforms.

It may seem as if basic or flip phones are a thing of the past, given that 73% of teens have a smartphone. But that still leaves 15% of teens who only have a basic cellphone and 12% who have none at all, and it makes a difference in the way each group communicates.

Texting is the most common and frequent way that teens communicate with all types of friends, but they haven’t abandoned phone calling – especially among their closest friends.

Our latest report focuses on how teens develop and sustain friendships in the digital age, including where they meet, communicate and spend time with friends.

American teens don't just make friends in the schoolyard or neighborhood — many are finding new friends online. Video games, social media and mobile phones play an integral role in how teens meet and interact.

Minority smartphone owners tend to rely more heavily on their phone than whites do for internet access, according to our recent report on smartphone adoption.

Although seniors tend to lag their younger counterparts in tech adoption, more seniors than those 18-29 describe their smartphone as liberating.

Today, 60% of parents have checked their teenagers' profile on a social networking site.

Smartphones are fueling a shift in the communication landscape for teens. Nearly three-quarters of teens now use smartphones and 92% of teens report going online daily — including 24% who say they go online "almost constantly."