International Telecommunication Union

Mobile Phones & Youth:

A look at the U.S. Student Market

ITU/MIC Workshop on “Shaping the Future Mobile Information Society”

Seoul, 4-5 March 2004

Audrey N. Selian
Tufts University

Lara Srivastava
Strategy and Policy Unit, ITU

1 Note: The views expressed in this presentation are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of the ITU or its membership. Lara Srivastava can be contacted at lara.srivastava@itu.int
 International Telecommunication Union

An overview of the study

• Lens on the youth market

• Characteristics & trends
• Functionality/International Perspectives
• Observable Phenomena
• The Survey

2
 International Telecommunication Union

Why look at the youth market?

3
 International Telecommunication Union

Many reasons…

• Early adopters
– Wireless overtakes landline (as preference!):
2/3 of young Americans would take mobile
over landline, given the choice
– Teenagers among main drivers for 3G
services
• Extremely technology savvy
• Fashion conscious
– Accessories, ringtones, etc.

4
 International Telecommunication Union

An important evolution is taking place

• Rising concern for social and behavioral

aspects of mobile technology
– Most discernible for young people who are
growing up with these devices
• Dependence on technology is evolving
– Instant messaging as vital medium for social
networks
• Emerging new forms of measurement and
surveying
• Youth perspective on mobile technology is
transcending its functionality
5
 International Telecommunication Union

Youth market characteristics

6
 International Telecommunication Union

Behind the upward trends…

• 2 out of 3 have own TV in their room

• 1 in 8 has a DVD player in their room
• More than 2/3 have a PC, almost all
have internet access
– Most surf at least once a week
– 1/3 go online 2 or 3 times a week
– 22% are online every day
• More than 2 million American children
ages 6 to 17 have their own personal
Web sites
7
 International Telecommunication Union

Youth comprised a multi-billion dollar

market for mobile by the end of 2003
• There are well over 103 million mobile
users aged 5 to 24 in the top 10 mobile
markets
– This number expected to hit 152 million in
2004
• Non-college attending youths in the US
were estimated in a 2000 study to be the
largest segment of the youth market in
coming years
8
 International Telecommunication Union

Functionality & International

Perspectives

9
 International Telecommunication Union

How are mobile phones changing kids’

lives?
• Increased Independence and
circumvention of parental control
– Countered by location tracking
technology
• Text messaging – the “note-passing of
the new Millennium”
• Phones with cameras – ‘shutterbugs’

10
 International Telecommunication Union

International perspectives
• Japan/Korea
– Special homage as leaders in youth market
• China
– Nearly 60% of subscribers between 20 and 30 years of
age
• Australia
– Up to a quarter of mobile users are children
• UK
– Primary schoolchildren fastest growing market for mobile
phones, 1 in 9 kids has one
• Italy
– 56% of kids between 9-10 yrs of age have mobile phones

11
 International Telecommunication Union

2004 ITU Survey in U.S. schools

12
 International Telecommunication Union

Study of mobile technology and youth

• Explores the relationships between

– Gender
– Age
– Behavioral trends
– Usage patterns
• The sample of survey Age Bracket Percentage
respondents consisted of 189 12-14
15-17
1%
21%
teenagers and young adults 18-20 57%
21-23 2%
across a spectrum of socio- 24-26 7%

economic, cultural and ethnic 27-29

30-32
7%
3%
backgrounds in the area of 33+ 2%

Boston, Massachusetts
13
 International Telecommunication Union

A few statistically significant associations

emerged…
• Initial Age of usage
– Based on a logistic regression analysis,
the probability of owning a mobile phone
tends toward 100 percent when the age of
initial use is between 11 and 15 years of
age.
– Those who adopt mobile technology at a
young age are highly likely to continue
doing so; there is continuity in adoption

14
 International Telecommunication Union

Mobile phone ownership

• 87% of those Do you have a cell phone?

surveyed had 100%

Male
mobile phones 80%
Female

– 89 percent of
60%
females
– 83 percent of males 40%

• 60% of those with 20%

mobile phones said 0%

they could live No Yes

without it (the difference between the gender

percentages is insignificant)

15
 International Telecommunication Union

Few significant gender differences:

1) Calling Home

• Most teens How much of your usage is directed toward

family calls only?
spend a quarter
40
of their time on 0%
25%
their mobile 30 50%

phone calling 75%

100%

home 20

• Females call 10

home to their
families more 0
Male Female
then males

16
 International Telecommunication Union

2) Using up calling minutes

• Most do not Do you typically use up all your calling

use up all minutes?
60%
calling Male
50%
minutes on Female
40%
plan
Percent
30%
• Females 20%
tend to use 10%
up their 0%
minutes No Yes

more often

17
 International Telecommunication Union

3) Privacy concerns

• Americans are Would privacy issues ever be a reason for

known to be more giving up your mobile phone?
liberal about privacy 70% Male
than others 60%
Female

• Majority indicated 50%

they would not give

Percent
40%

up mobile phones 30%

over privacy 20%

• Females less likely 10%

than males to do so 0%
No Yes

18
 International Telecommunication Union

Few significant age differences

1) Cell phone functionality
• Most people use
their phones to Cell phone functionality
play games 4

• Those in the 15-17

yr old & the 18-20 3

yr old age brackets

Mean
2
have significant
association with 1
sending pictures
/playing games 0
Send text Send pictures Download Play games
• Interesting: messages/email ringtones

Gaming is most
popular!
19
 International Telecommunication Union

2) Mobile phones in public spaces

• Across the board, 2 most popular places –

at store and on public transport

Mobile phone use in public spaces

0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
Mean

0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
In At At In A In At A In A
a w a a tp pu a t a On th tm
m or s h la b l c a e ea
ee k to o sp ce lic i br on da ba
tin re t a c te t lti
ita of ra ry er hr m
g/ l/d w ns t o o e
in o o r p m
cl ct sh or
as or ip t
s 's
20 of
fic
e
 International Telecommunication Union

Areas with of interest

(but little significant gender/age difference)

What's the best part of having a mobile phone?

80%

70% Male
60% Female

50%
Percent

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
It's stylish/cool It makes my life Everyone has I feel safer Communicating
easier one with friends

21
 International Telecommunication Union

Areas with of interest

(but little significant gender/age difference)
Do you ever talk on your mobile phone while
you drive?

60%
Male
50%
Female

40%
Percent

30%

20% Do you believe there are any negative

medical side effects of mobile phone usage?
10%
70%
0% 60% Male
No, never Sometimes Yes, often Female
50%
Percent

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
22 No Yes
 International Telecommunication Union

Areas with of interest

(but little significant gender/age difference)
How often do you place your phone on "silent" or
"vibrate" mode to avoid loud ringing? Male
Female
60%

50%

40%

30%

20% Is your cell phone always on?

Male
10% 70%
Female
0% 60%
No, never Seldom Sometimes Often Yes, always
50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
23
No Yes
 International Telecommunication Union

Areas with of interest

(but little significant gender/age difference)
Are you aware that certain companies
have information about the location of
your cell phone?
Male
70%
Female
60%
Do you always answer your cell phone
50% when it rings?

70%
40%
Percent

Female
60%
30% Male
50%
20%
40%
10%
30%

0% 20%
No Yes
10%

0%
24
No Yes
 International Telecommunication Union

www.itu.int/futuremobile

25
 International Telecommunication Union

tks!

lara.srivastava@itu.int

26