Digital Smarts - Percentage of Teens Without Cellphone is Down to 12%

A new nationwide survey from Pew Research Center reveals that 92 percent of teens ages 13-17 say they go online daily and 24 percent are online “almost constantly." This increase in time spent on the web coincides with a boost in smartphone ownership: 73 percent of teens surveyed have a smartphone, while only 12 percent have no cellphone of any kind. This represents "a major change" in teens' connectivity and phone habits, said lead researcher Amanda Lenhart.

The survey also revealed that Facebook remains the most used social media site among American teens ages 13 to 17, with 71 percent of all teens using the site.  Half the teens surveyed use Instagram and 40 percent use Snapchat. Findings also show that girls gravitate to social media while boys tend to be more interested in video games. As far as communicating goes, a typical teen sends and receives 30 texts per day, but not necessarily through their cellular plans. 33 percent of teens with smartphones use messaging apps like Kik or WhatsApp.