Although the percentage of younger people using smartphones hasn’t increased much in the last decade, US adults over age 50 have seen double-digit-percentage growth every three years since 2012, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
Social media use for the older set is also way up, while it’s stagnant or even declining with the young. And almost everyone is giving up on tablets, except for those over age 65.
It’s no shock that younger respondents’ smartphone use didn’t increase much—the numbers were already so high (94% of 18- to 29-year-olds reported owning a smartphone in 2018). Yet it did grow slightly, to 96% for 2021. The increase grew markedly for each successive age group polled, with the largest increase being a full 15% for those 65 and older.
That said, no one is more active online than the coveted young demographic; half of them said they are almost constantly online in some way. Compare that to the older respondents, who may be taking a shine to their smartphones but aren’t using them 24/7.
The top site or social platform used among adults of any age is YouTube at 81%; Facebook is second at 69%.
One area in which the results showed a decrease is that 18- to 29-year-olds are using social media less than before. The numbers fell 6% since hitting a high of 90% use in 2015.
The data comes from Pew’s phone survey of 1,502 adults who were polled from Jan. 25 to Feb. 8, 2021. For more read the full report, including a look at the questions and responses and other demographic breakdowns besides age.
