Older teens more likely to own cell phones Percentage of teen cell phone owners by age, 2004-2008 90%
Teenagers have previously lagged behind adults in their ownership of cell phones, but several years of survey data collected by the Pew Internet & American Life Project show that those ages 12-17 are closing the gap in cell phone ownership. The Project first began surveying teenagers about their mobile phones in its 2004 Teens and Parents project when a survey showed that 45% of teens had a cell phone. Since that time, mobile phone use has climbed steadily among teens ages 12 to 17 – to 63% in fall of 2006 and then to 71% in early 2008.
Among teens, age is the most important variable in mobile phone ownership. Older teens are much more likely to own phones than younger teens, and the largest increase occurs at age 14, right at the transition between middle and high school. Among 12-13 year olds, 52% had a cell phone in 2008. Mobile phone ownership jumped to 72% at age 14 in that survey, and by the age of 17 more than eight in ten teens (84%) had their own cell phone.
Older teens more likely to own cell phones  | Percentage of teen cell phone owners by age, 2004-2008  | 90%  | 85  | 82 84  | 80%  | 70%  | 64%  | 59%  | 60%  | 50%  | 48%  | 45  | 43%  | 43  | 40%  | 34%  | 30%  | 20%  | 18%  | 10%  | 0%  | 15  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 16  | 17  | Age  | 2004 2006 2008  | Engagement All data based on teens ages 12. -17 Source: 2007 Pew Internet Feb 2008 & American 102 L life Project, Gaming and +3% Civic  | Engagement Survey of Oct. Teens/Parents ages 2004 Nov. 2007 +3% Feb 2008 100), N=1 102 and margin Gaming of error is Oct. +3% Margin 2006  | Engagement of error for teens in the Oct. Nov. 2004 survey is +3% (N=1 100), and margin of error for the Oct. Nov. 2006  | survey is +4% (n=935)  | Pew Internet 