Teens in search of the elusive mobile utopia

SAN FRANCISCO — Wireless industry association CTIA and Harris Interactive think they have found the answer to one of history’s most elusive mysteries: what teenagers want.
In a report dubbed “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged,” Harris surveyed 2,000 teens across the nation to find out how they feel about wireless products and services, how they’re using them and how’d they like to use them in the future.
“Teens are a pivotal segment of wireless users. As the first generation born into a wireless society, how they use their cellphones and what they expect of these devices in the future will drive the next wave of innovation,” said Steve Largent, CEO and President of CTIA.
In the results, cellphones ranked second, just behind clothing, as to what teens say tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity. They also made it clear how vital these phones are to high school existence; 57% view their cellphone as the key to their social life. The report also found that 57% of teens credit cellphones for improving their quality of life. 52% reported that handsets have morphed into a form of entertainment; one third of teens play games on their phones. More importantly, 80% of teens said having their cellphone always at their side provided a sense of security and 79% indicated their phone as the best way to get a ride, get important information (51%) and help someone in trouble (35%).
Not surprisingly, the report found that texting, logging on to Facebook and generally accessing friends at anytime is the reasoning behind the true love affair teens have with their phones. However, only one in five (18%) care to use their device to locate family or friends. It’s likely that because they want to avoid the common punishments teens face in high school, 36% said they hate the idea of a cellphone feature allowing others to know their exact location. Too late kids, those programs are already out there.
If you’ve noticed your teen or younger people around you only speaking in acronym, there’s a reason. For teens, a phone just isn’t a phone unless it can text. The report showed teens admit to spending an equal amount of time texting and talking on their phones each month. And if like, OMG, texting were to be taken away, 47% of teens said their social life would end, totally. How will they communicate with their BFF?