Teens and Tech

Teens' Phones Get Smarter and More Addictive

Smartphones are in and Facebook is out, according to a new study by Common Sense a non-profit that researches kids and their relationship to media and technology.

After surveying over 1,000 teenagers, Common Sense found that 90 percent of teens owned a smartphone, over double what that number was in 2012. Social media use has also climbed, increasing by double digits in the six years since Common Sense last conducted this study. Facebook is no longer the main media site for most teens, with the number who cited the site as their primary social media falling to a small minority. Luckily some things never change, and a rebellious, social media-less minority remained among respondents.

Description

This chart shows the change in social media habits of 13-17 year old teenagers in the U.S. between 2012 and 2018.

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Percentage of teenagers in the United States who use Facebook as of October 2024, by age group
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Share of children and teenagers who get news from selected social media sites in the United States as of January 2017, by age
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Share of children owning a smartphone in the United States in 2015, 2019 and 2021, by age
Percentage of teenagers in the United States who have access to a smartphone at home as of October 2023, by age group
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Main reasons for using social media according to teenagers worldwide as of 1st quarter 2023
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Share of parents who talk to their children about social media in the United States as of October 2025

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