Access to mobile phones and social media is common across emerging economies. People around the world see certain benefits from these technologies, yet there are also concerns about their impact on children.
Jingjing Jiang
Publications
Today, 36% of U.S. adults say they have ever used a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft. Prominent urban-rural gaps in adoption exist.
Close to half of U.S. teens say they are on the internet “almost constantly." Yet highly plugged-in youth in America are just as likely as their less-connected peers to socialize regularly with their friends in person.
Teens credit social media for helping to build stronger friendships and exposing them to a more diverse world, but they express concern that these sites lead to drama and social pressure.
Some 44% of liberal Democrats say they have used social media in the past year to encourage others to take action on an issue that was important to them. A similar share (43%) have taken part in a group that shares their interest in a cause.
Roughly half of U.S. teens say they spend too much time on their cellphones, and two-thirds of parents express concern over their teen’s screen time. But parents face their own challenges of device-related distraction.
YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teenagers.
Millennials have often led older Americans in their adoption and use of technology. But there has also been significant growth in tech adoption in recent years among older generations.
As smartphones and other mobile devices have become more widespread, 26% of American adults now report that they go online almost constantly.
Age, household income, and education are key indicators of a person’s likelihood to be offline.
