Teens’ cellphone data use tripled in past year

On average, teens exchange 3,417 messages per month, or “seven text messages per waking hour,” Nielsen found in an analysis of data from more than 65,000 cellphone subscribers. Teens have “tripled their data use in the past year,” but “data use across all age groups nearly doubled,” the Washington Post reports in its coverage. “Survey participants ages 13-17 used an average of 90 MB per month in 2010; in 2011, that number jumped 256% to 321 MB.” In the same period of time, data use jumped 147% for users 18-24, 118% for those 25-34 and 133% for 35-to-44-year-olds. When teens were asked why they like texting so much, the said it’s “faster, easier, and more fun” than talking on the phone. I have to agree. But I still talk more than text with my own peers – not out of any kind of altruism, just because that’s what they do, and I have a feeling that’s a factor for people of all ages. We use the tools our friends use. Here’s coverage at MSNBC and an in-depth study by Pew Internet on “Teens, texting and cellphones” in 2010.