Survey says: most teens don't have a data plan, almost all send texts
By Nilay Patel 
posted May 5th 2010 1:43PM
posted May 5th 2010 1:43PM
We also thought voice calling on the Kin seemed like an afterthought to texting and social networking, but it turns out more and more older kids simply turn to the phone: 77 percent of 17 year olds text each other, but 60 percent of them call each other's cell phones -- and only 33 percent of them connect over social networking sites. Perhaps most damningly, Pew says nearly half -- 46% -- of teens play games on their phones, but Kin has no games at all. The report is actually full of other interesting tidbits like this and the infographic is quite nice, so hit the read links to check 'em out -- perhaps Microsoft and Verizon should do the same.
I'm a teen with a Droid and a data plan plus texting.
I'm hip and cool yes?
Sarcasm aside, this is a pretty accurate representation. You don't need a study to tell you this information. It's common sense especially when data plans are 30 bucks a month.
I'm very tech savvy though so i need to have something like a smartphone. Many other teens are quite the opposite.
Duh
I'm 14, almost 15. I have a Motorola Droid (rooted) with CyanogenMod rom. I'm a supergeek, obviously. This is my 2nd phone, first was an iPhone 3G. Idk why most teens don't have data plans. What's more, I really can't seem to even GUESS why the stupid "EnV" series of phones are so sickeningly popular. THere's only 2 kids I know with a smartphone. One with a Sprint HTC Hero, he's a supergeek, too lol.
Another, a girl, with a Samsung Moment. She hates it. Says it's slow.
@TylerCameron42 Most teens are completely unaware of the benefits of a smartphone or find a smartphone "too complicated" (* rolls eyes *). I think teens who are serious students, are academically inclined, and are into technology are most likely to purchase wireless data acess. Like you, I was different and absolutely loved and had to have (and still do) wireless data access. For the longest time I was restricted to just wifi on my PDA, but eventually upgraded to a smartphone. But for me, I never did go with a contract-based data package (still don't!); I always purchased data access prepaid (Boostberry, Virgin Mobile USA, GoPhone, T-Mobile flexpay, Verizon Prepaid, etc.). Prepaid data is also much cheaper than postpaid data access, if you choose the right service provider.
Even if you want the iPhone, you can get data access on a prepaid basis (through T-Mobile at least); you just have to buy the device off contract :/
@yoko1324 LOL, $50 says 90% of teenagers with an unlimited data plan are iPhone users. :p
Oh wait, I know someone els with an HTC Dream... Oh shit, I'm gonna lose that bet lmao.
I wish Verizon would offer me to exchange my Droid for an Incredible, though. Cause I got a Droid just 2 weeks before Verizon announced it, I mean, seriously!?!??! I knew Sprint was getting the Evo, but my iPhone was not functioning (thanks to a toddler :P) And I just couldn't wait 2-3-4 months for a superphone. However, I tried Sense on my Droid (testing that buggy-as-hell ZeusDroid Rom) I LOVED IT. But even that HTC Sense Keyboard doesn't make the virtual keyboard too much better. Probably because I am simply too used to the iPhone's virtual keyboard. And the iPhone's screen is FAR wider (in portrait mode) than the Droid. Idk why Motorola did this, was it to make the screen 16:9?
@TylerCameron42 Who's paying for your data plan, yourself or your parents?
Yeah this apparently ignores the iPhone...completely.
Stupid.
Either Microsoft and Verizon made RIDICULOUSLY HUUUUUUGE oversight in not including any IM client whatsoever on the Kins...
... Or it was strictly a financial business decision to ensure they continue r~ping teens (or their parents actually) for unlimited texting plans.
IM clients on iPhone/Android/webOS are such an incredibly obvious thing. If it was the former reason, what the hell were Microsoft/Verizon thinking?
Well, Microsoft obviously invented a fake marketing paradigm when explaining the target consumer for the Kin (i.e. Generation upload). They really do have the worst marketing department in the tech industry. I hope they have made arrangements for some fake purchases, or this is going to be really embarrassing for them.
Hmmm, well then, I'm seventeen still (barely) and thats a very intresting set of numbers there. Of course, i'm a techie maniac, so i kinda like being connected to the internet at all times in order to check my twitter/blogs and other things. Facebook however (which is what i consider social networking, twitter on the other hand is my personal news feed of headlines) is an afterthought that i use every once in a while. and of course, i'm an iphone user, so although i love games, there's no point in playing them not near a charger. and i'm probably the only person that i know that doesn't like to text continuously. i've tried to explain the inefficiency of it before, but texting works like, and xbots don't hate me for this, xbox live. its not ALWAYS because its the most superior experience, but instead because its the easiest to get into since everyone else has it.
This study may be inconclusive.
Can't people access social networking via text messages? You can text facebook to update your status. And all the teenagers that have iPhones? They all have data plans. I'm pretty sure a lot of teens have iPhones.
I forgot what life was like without internet on a phone since I was in 10th grade.
I am a senior in high school, and my school seems to follow those statistics. I myself have a Droid, with (of course) a mandatory data plan. i see 20% of the people using iphones, and they use it for internet, texting, and facebook whenever they can. about 10% have a blackberry, though I don't know what they use it for. 5% have an Android smartphone, and surprisingly, most use their Android for music. I have yet to see any other Mobile OSes in our school. About 10%, the hardcore nerds, have a flip phone, because they are only concerned with schoolwork (unlike me). The rest mostly have touchcreen or keyboard phones (the enV touch is really popular here). 75% of the people have ipod touches, of which, 30% connect to the school wireless network. I am also the only one so far, that I've seen with a Zune HD. Nearly every science, math or math/science based elective teacher has an iphone (with few exceptions, , such as my math teacher, who has a Droid). I would say at least 75% of the people text, because every friend I've asked, gave me their number and i texted them. 50% of the people text in school, and 95% of the people have their phones on at school. A new fad, or maybe this has been going for a while, is playing games on the TI-84, which 15% do. That's about all the statistics I can think of... Most are guesses based on what I see.
@masta vaan lol, people have been playing games on graphing calculators for probably 15 years now. i bet it's much less popular now with smartphones available to distract you than it was when i was in hs only 4 years ago
i graduated HS and 2006 and even i'm amazed that so many high school students sent 100+ texts a day. i guess back then calling was still done slightly more often because we all had landlines in middle school, but still
I am in the teen group and I definitely have a data plan because I have the Droid, and about half the people I know have smartphones and the other half have a brick. It just depends on your parents, and if they are willing to pay lots of cash.
People with smartphones that have mandatory data plans should take advantage of apps that let you send free texts. Even the IM apps like google talk and yahoo messenger let's you send instant messages to other users using the data plan. This makes getting an unlimited text plan useless. The service providers are laughing all the way to the bank since peole don't use apps like this.