Figuring out teens is a challenge for parents and teachers, but there’s one thing you can count on: teenagers love iPhone. A new study shows that a whopping 82 percent of them own one.
And that number is likely to increase. The survey indicates that 84 percent of teens say their next phone will be from Apple.
The semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey is conducted by Piper Jaffray. Every six months, it travels to 40 states to ask approximately 6,000 children with an average age of 16 their opinions on a variety of topics, including smartphones.
iPhone ownership has been growing strongly and steadily in this demographic, according to Business Insider. In the spring of 2014, about 60 percent of teenagers surveys indicated they owned an iPhone. Two years later, that number had almost reached 70 percent. Now it’s passed 80 percent.
Graphic: Piper Jaffray
Apple will reportedly meet this growing demand for iPhones by growing the size of its offerings. Two of the iOS phones expected this fall will have screens bigger than any previous iPhone.
The teens’ love of the iPhone extends to other Apple devices as well. The Piper Jaffray survey found that 20 of teenagers intend to buy an Apple Watch soon. They may have have devices with larger screens to choose from in Apple’s 2018 lineup.
Teen spending trends
According to the spring 2018 survey, the improving economy has been good for teenagers. Overall teen spending is up 6 percent from fall, and up 2 percent from this same time a year ago.
Highschoolers spend most of their money on food (24 percent). Boys spent 13 percent of it on video games, but that doesn’t equal the amount spent on clothes. Girls spent on average $368 on beauty products.
Popular brands (besides Apple, of course) include Vans, Champion, and Tommy Hilfiger.
