Commentary

Cool Not As Important As Connected For Teens With Cell Phones

Cool Not As Important As Connected For Teens With Cell Phones

Mobile Online Testing Exchange and eCRUSH, releasing research insight into the way cell phones make teens ‘feel' and the benefits they get from cell phone ownership, finds that  77% of teens cited "convenience of being able to communicate from anywhere," while 75% said "security of being able to reach family" are major cell phone benefits benefits. Much lower on the list was friends' admiration of their cell phone features at 41%.

Studying the complex lives of the 13 -17 year old set, when asked about how ownership of a cell phone makes them feel, "connected" is the dominant response.

Personal "feeling" When Owning A Cell Phone

 

% of Total Teens

Connected with friends

71%

Connected with family

63%

Responsible

61%

Safe

58%

Cool

46%

Like I fit in with everyone else

34%

High tech

33%

Important

31%

Fashionable

30%

Trendy

27%

Older than I actually am

17%

Too accessible

10%

Concerned about potential health hazards related to using the phone

4%

Source: OTX, October 2007

 

Perceived Benefits Of Owning A Cell Phone

 

% of Total Teens

The convenience of being able to communicate from anywhere

77%

The security of always being able to reach my family

75%

The convenience of never being out of touch

72%

The ability to multitask

63%

The fun of having entertainment on the go (games, music, video) on my phone

56%

The ability to express myself by adding wallpaper, ringtones or skins

53%

My friends admire my phone because of the features it has

41%

My friends admire my phone because of the way it looks

39%

Source: OTX, October 2007

Amy Gibby, President of eCRUSH, said "... it's not all about ‘look' and ‘fashion' when it comes to this category, teens are practical..." The study found that of all the gadgets and devices available today, the cell phone is a teen favorite. 51% of teens said they "absolutely could not live without" their cell phones.

When teens were asked about the mobile phone features they have and use, text messaging was overwhelmingly cited as the feature they use most, followed by the ability to customize wall paper, take digital pictures, and play games which come with the phone,

Features Teens Have And Use On Their Cell Phones

 

% of Total Teens

Text Message (SMS)

72%

Customize with wallpapers

72%

Take digital photos/videos

63%

Play games

56%

Picture Message (MMS)

51%

Download ringtones

51%

Source: OTX, October 200



Cell Phone Feature Most Wanted

 

% of Total Teens

Text Message (SMS)

45%

Take digital photos/videos

29%

Surf the internet / view websites

24%

Download music

24%

Watch regular TV

21%

Instant Message

19%

Download videos

19%

Listen to FM Radio

16%

Picture Message (MMS)

15%

Source: OTX, October 2007

 

And, cell phones are rapidly becoming the "new" medium for viewing music videos, says the report.  41% of teens surveyed have video downloading capability on their cell phones and approximately half of those teens are actually downloading and viewing videos. Among these teens, music videos are the most watched type, followed by user generated content.

Bruce Friend, President, Media and Entertainment Insights for OTX, concludes that "As media companies move into the mobile space, it's critically important to understand how the teen demographic uses mobile technology for entertainment and the extent to which this usage affects their other media and leisure time behaviors."

For more information on the Teens Topix study, and this segment, please visit OTX here.

 

Next story loading loading..