In Case You Didn't Know, Teens Prefer Texting to Communicate

It's not like we didn't already know this but once in a while it's nice to have a study in the back pocket to whip out when that crusty old client or agency head refuses to believe what you're telling them.

This study, from mobile company ChaCha, informs...wait for it...teens prefer text as their primary means of communication. In a recent survey of 1,500 teens and young adults, 67.53 percent of respondents mentioned mobile text as their favorite way to communicate. That preference far surpassed all other modes of communication such as mobile voice (9.22 percent) and Facebook (8.84 percent).

This data aligns closely with a recent Pew Internet study focusing on teens and their use of mobile phones, which shows that mobile phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with mobile phone calling a close second. According to Pew Research Center, some 75% of 12-17 year olds now own mobile phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens - or 88% of teen mobile phone users -- are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters.

As an indicator of just how important mobile devices are to teens, the study found of the following devices taken away; mobile phone, computer, radio or television, 60.69 percent would miss their mobile phone the most.