US teenagers and mobiles: new research

Researchers at Harris Interactive have worked with industry group CTIA to discover what teenagers want from their mobile phones... and what mobile phones are likely to be used for in the future. Their survey of over 2,000 teenagers in the USA is called "Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged". It reveals that:

• next to clothing, teenagers say a mobile phone tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity
• 57% see their mobile phone as the key to their social life
• 17 million teenagers (alomst 80%) carry a mobile device -up 40% since 2004
• almost the same amount of time is spent texting as talking
• 42% of teens say they can text blindfolded!

In the future, teenagers say they'll want their mobiles to offer:

• secure data access to the user only (80%)
• accessibility to personal health records (66%)
• the opportunity to be educated anywhere in the world (66%)
• closer access to global issues impacting their world (63%)

Their ideal mobile device would be a phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player that was shockproof, waterproof, never needed recharging and had a screen that couldn't be overlooked. [Press release]