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Most teachers would agree that it is extremely important for students to understand how different behaviors are facilitated by many cultural norms within real-world and in-text worlds.   In order to facilitate student learning in regards to this topic, it is helpful to have students conduct ethnographic research projects in order to discover the meanings behind various social practices.  To do this successfully, however, it is important to know what it means to be a student ethnographer!  Here's how this is done in ten easy steps:
1. Read and discuss sample studies.  Embrace an open-mindedness for cultural diversity.
" Actual ethnographic research requires extensive prior training and long periods of time studying a specific site (84)."
2. Select topic for research.
3. Pose research questions.
"To frame their studies, students generate questions about their topic and then select those questions that most intrigue them (86)."
4. Gain entry to the group through a cultural broker.
This is crucial for ethnographic research.  Students must locate a "cultural broker," a "reliable, helpful contact person or member of the group or institution who is known to the students, who helps them gain access to a particular group or institution, and who provides them with an "inside" perspective (86)."
5. Become a participant observer.
It is important to be an active participant in order to fully experience what is being studied, but it is still crucial to also be an outside observer.  These two perspectives are combined in order to fully study the social practice.
6. Collect artifacts and write field notes.
This is how information on a social practice is recorded.  It is important to be as specific as possible, avoiding vague words and describing things exactly as they occurred.
7. Conduct ethnographic interviews.
8. Analyze field notes, artifacts, and interviews.
Analyze both behaviors and the meanings behind them.
9. Draft and produce a report.
10. Reflect on experiences as researchers.
It is important to think about not only what these experiences have taught us about a different culture or social group from our own, but also how the experiences impacted the world view of the ethnographer them-self.
Beach, R., & Finders, M. J. (1999). Students as Ethnographers: Guiding Alternative Research Projects. The English Journal, 89(1),

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"Thus, creative play, dramatization, and exploration of game events serve as platforms for novel writing; gaming affords Davis multiple opportunities to network with friends and extend his knowledge of a passionate subject through reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and presentation- central language arts practices (Abrams, 91)."
Williams, B., & Zenger, A. A. (2012). New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders. New York, NY: Routledge.

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"If anything, new participatory technologies have revealed the degree to which individuals make use of popular culture texts in ways that make sense to them in their local contexts (8)."
Williams, B., & Zenger, A. A. (2012). New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders. New York, NY: Routledge.

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Mode of Enactment

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Mode of Enactment

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One of the common "Mode of Enactment" forms within sneaker culture is highly participatory- playing basketball while wearing Air Jordan sneakers.  This is quite obviously a form of play through mimicry, as the fandom for Air Jordan shoes stems directly from a fandom of Michael Jordan.  People want to "Be like Mike," and one simple way to mimic him is by wearing his sneakers.  One man went as far as wearing an entire Michael Jordan uniform, complete with his jersey, shorts, and sneakers.  The video praised him for his mimicry, saying: "In sum, here's a guy looking good, feeling good, and playing good."

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Dude Wears Full Michael Jordan Uniform During Pickup Game

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Back in May, some random guy was spotted walking around in New York City with an old Shaquille O'Neal uniform on. This photo of him standing at the counter at a bank went viral, and Twitter roasted him for rocking the full Magic 'fit.

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Capital Accumulation

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Capital Accumulation

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Capital Accumulation is at the foundation of sneaker culture- its all about how many sneakers you own and who can acquire the rarest shoes.  One man decided to begin the "Shoezeum," a museum dedicated to displaying his collection of over 2,000 pairs of rare shoes, valued at over one million dollars. He describes this museum as an opportunity for him to "share the ABC's of Nike."

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ShoeZeum Guided Tour: 2,000 Pairs in 11 Minutes

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Guided Tour Of The World Famous ShoeZeum When It Was In San Diego

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Productivity

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Productivity

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It has become extremely popular to create "custom" Air Jordan shoes, taking regular Air Jordans and altering them with not only paint, but sometimes changes to the structure of the shoe completely.  This is seen as a way to express oneself creatively, although the Air Jordan shoe is always seen as the "blank canvas," maintaining the alignment with the fandom.  Many people, like the custom sneaker creator "Mache" have made a living from these designs.  From Mache's website; "By the summer of 2004 Dan became disenchanted with the designs and colorways that major brands were putting out. Curious to see if he could do better, he decided to customize his own pair of sneakers. After slathering different shades of purple on a pair of beat up Air Max 90s in his basement, the first pair of custom kicks were created and Mache Custom Kicks was born."

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Discrimination

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Fan Behavior- Sneaker Culture Discrimination

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Air Jordan sneakers have been extremely popular ever since Michael Jordan one of the best basketball players ever, began his career in 1988.  Many people are fans of his shoes, but there is a clear line within the fandom with regards to what shoes are okay to wear and what shoes are not.  Expensive Jordan "retros," the shoe models Jordan actually played in, are highly coveted.  The cheaper alternative, Jordan "Flights," or "Team" Jordans are ridiculed and made fun of.  In this discussion, one Jordan refers to Team Jordans as "Team Jordan's, basically the bargain bin Jordans that only Mexicans think are okay to wear."

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Simple question..... you spot the absolute girl of your dreams.
Face is beautiful
Nail done, hair done, everything did
smell good
Booty like bow bow!!!

Then you take a peak at her shoe game.....

and....you see this....

Is it a deal breaker?

Let's Discuss

that bytch right there could be wearing scuffed up
birdman lugz and i'd knock fire from
the crack of her ass.

I'm more concerned with her shirt

hitting no doubt tho

that bytch right there could be wearing scuffed up
birdman lugz and i'd knock fire from
the crack of her ass.

If a girl wear Jordan Flights 9.9 times out of 10 her p*ssy got a smell.
Yall nikkas would hit anything...

I'm more concerned with her shirt

Wake up with your head cut off and shyt. The girl of my dreams don't wear Jordan's btw.

If a girl wear Jordan Flights 9.9 times out of 10 her p*ssy got a smell.

Yall nikkas would hit anything...

90% of the heels you see broads in cost 30$
but this is the Coli where shoes are the gauge
for clean/unscented p*ssy.

90% of the heels you see broads in cost 30$
but this is the Coli where shoes are the gauge
for clean/uncented p*ssy.

Female shoes are generally cheaper than male shoes anyway.... But I can appreciate in a girl in a cheap heel as long as it looks nice.

But if a girl is wearing Jordan Flights, that says a lot about her character, and that she dont care about herself, or she got mental problems. Cause what black girl you know that respect herself, and is mentally healthy would wear Jordan Flights in public?

I've only seen poor girls, retarded kids, mexicans, or girls with mental problems where Jordan Flights..... sometimes you see crackheads in them cause they got them from Donation centers.

Some of yall nikkas in here got yall daughters wearing Flights to school....

Yall nikkas would hit anything...

It's nature's way breh.

She must be 16yrs old

If a girl wear Jordan Flights 9.9 times out of 10 her p*ssy got a smell.

Yall nikkas would hit anything...

Lmao!

If a girl wear Jordan Flights 9.9 times out of 10 her p*ssy got a smell.

Yall nikkas would hit anything...

Not sure what flight Jordans are bc I don't really wear gym/tennis shoes but...I'm here to learn

Those shoes are basically an instant indicator she a broke ass bytch that ain't never had shyt lol.

You can either hit it and move on, or try and boss her up lmao

Not sure what flight Jordans are bc I don't really wear gym/tennis shoes but...I'm here to learn

Team Jordan's, basically the bargain bin Jordans that only Mexicans think are okay to wear.

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You find the Girl of Your Dreams..... wearing Jordan True Flights

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Simple question..... you spot the absolute girl of your dreams. Face is beautiful Nail done, hair done, everything did smell good Booty like bow bow!!! Then you take a peak at her shoe game..... and....you see this.... Is it a deal breaker?

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology, and Friendship

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology, and Friendship

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"Teens who have mobile internet access – whether through a phone, tablet or other mobile device – are significantly more likely than those without this kind of access to be in frequent touch with their closest friend. A full 60% of these teen mobile internet users are in touch daily with their closest friend (including 42% who make contact many times a day). This compares with 47% of those without mobile internet access who communicate daily with their closest friend, including 27% who do so many times a day."
Lenhart, A. (2015, August 06). Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

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Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech

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Teens have many different kinds of friends. There are casual acquaintances, associates, classmates, school friends, friends from camp or church or dance or soccer, all with varying and shifting degrees of closeness. The preceding chapter of this report examined the role of digital technologies in the broad scope of teens' friendships. In this chapter, we focus on the ways in which teens interact and spend time - both digitally and in person - with the person they consider to be their "closest friend."

The intimacy and closeness of these important friend relationships is special and examining it here shines a brighter light on teens' digital friendship practices. In contrast to the analysis in Chapter 1, this portion of the survey involved questions that asked teens to focus on all of the ways in which they spend time and interact with the friend who is closest to them. By stressing these particular relationships, we can focus our participants' responses on one particular and meaningful tie.

In the context of the survey and the analysis that follows, a teen's "closest friend" is defined as "someone you can talk to about things that are really important to you, but who is not a girlfriend or boyfriend." Some 4% of teens in this survey indicated that they do not have anyone in their life who fits this criteria, and an additional 1% were not willing to indicate whether they have a closest friend or not. Therefore, the analysis that follows is based on the 95% of teens who explicitly indicated that they do have someone they consider to be their closest friend. Throughout this chapter, the term "teen" refers to teens with a close friend, unless otherwise noted.

Most Common Places Teens Spend Time With Close Friends Are School, Friends' Houses and Online

In order to gain a broad understanding of the places - including online places - teens spend time with their closest friends, the survey presented nine different venues, activities or locations and asked teens to indicate whether they regularly spend time with their closest friend at each of these venues or activities.

Overall, school is by far the top location where teens say they spend time with their closest friends. More than four-in-five teens, (83%), say they spend time with that friend at school on a regular basis. The percentage of teens who spend time with their closest friend at school is largely consistent across a wide range of demographic groups.

Other than school, the next most common place to spend time with a best friend is at someone's house - 58% of teens say they spend time with their closest friend on a regular basis at someone's house. More than half (55%) of teens say they spend time with their closest friend online, doing things like interacting on social media or playing video games. Additionally, 45% say they spend time with their closest friend doing extracurricular activities like sports, clubs or hobbies and a similar 42% say they spend time with their closest friend in a neighborhood setting.

Roughly one-quarter (23%) of teens say they spend time with their closest friend at places like a coffee shop, mall or store. About one-in-five teens (21%) say they spend time with each other at a place of worship, 6% said they spend time with their friend at a job and 5% of teens cited another location.

Wealthier and white teens are more likely to spend time with a close friend at someone's house

Teens from more affluent households are more likely to spend time with their closest friend at someone's house or engaged in hobbies, sports and clubs outside of school than teens from lower-income families. Fully 61% of teens from households with an annual income of $50,000 or more spend time with their closest friend at someone's house, compared with 52% of teens from homes with a lower annual income. Moreover, teens from wealthier households are more inclined than those from less affluent households to say they hang out with friends through sports, clubs, hobbies or other activities (48% versus 37%).

White teens (65%) are somewhat more likely than blacks (51%) or Hispanics (46%) to say they spend time with their closest friend at someone's house.

More than half of teens hang out with friends in online settings

Many teens say they "hang out" with their closest friend in online settings, like on social media sites or through gaming websites. Fully 55% of teens spend time with their closest friend online on a regular basis, which is similar to the share of teens who spend time with close friends at someone's house. Teenage boys are especially likely to spend time online with close friends, as 62% do so regularly, compared with 48% of teen girls.

Many (65%) of those who have met a friend online say they spend time with their closest friend on a regular basis online, which is somewhat higher than the 41% of teens who have not met a friend online. While this does not necessarily mean that a teen's best friend is an online friend, it does suggest a certain comfort with interacting with friends and peers in an online space for this group of teens.

Boys and black teens are more likely than other groups to hang out with their closest friends in a neighborhood

Neighborhoods also are a popular place for teens to connect with one another - 42% of teens spend time around a neighborhood with their closest friend. Boys are more likely than girls to spend time with their closest friend in a neighborhood: Nearly half (48%) of teenage boys say this is where they regularly spend time with their closest friend, compared with 36% of girls.

Similarly, black teens are more likely than their white and Hispanic counterparts to hang out in a neighborhood. Some 64% of black teens spend time with their closest friend in this type of setting, compared with 41% of Hispanics and 39% of white teens.

About a third of teen girls spend time with their closest friend at a coffee shop or shopping center

Roughly one-quarter (23%) of teens regularly spend time with their closest friend at a coffee shop, mall or store. Girls are twice as likely as boys to hang out at these places: 30% of teen girls regularly spend time with their closest friend at a coffee shop, mall or store, compared with only 16% of boys.

Frequent Contact With Closest Friend Is Facilitated by Mobile Devices and Social Media

Teens today have more ways to stay in touch with friends than ever before. Beyond daily interactions at school, teens are increasingly connected by smartphones, social media, gaming, and the internet. These new avenues of communication broaden what it even means to be "friends," changing how teens connect and how they share with one another.

This survey asked teens how often they are in touch with their closest friend through face-to-face contact, phone calls, text messages, or any other digital method. Fully 59% of teens are in touch with their best friend daily, with 41% saying they are in touch many times a day. Another 28% of teens say they are in touch weekly with their closest friend, and just 8% say they communicate less often than that.

Girls are especially likely to be in touch with their closest friend on a regular basis. Fully 64% of teen girls say they are in touch with their closest friend daily, including 47% who communicate many times a day. This compares with 54% of boys who stay in touch daily, and 35% who do so multiple times a day.

Black teens are less likely than their white and Hispanic peers to communicate daily with their closest friend. Some 40% of black teens do so, compared with 61% of whites and 62% of Hispanic teens.

While there were no major differences by age, the economic and educational status of their parents or where they live, teens who have access to certain technologies are particularly likely to be in more frequent contact with their closest friend.

Social media and mobile devices help facilitate frequent connections between close friends

Teens who have mobile internet access - whether through a phone, tablet or other mobile device - are significantly more likely than those without this kind of access to be in frequent touch with their closest friend. A full 60% of these teen mobile internet users are in touch daily with their closest friend (including 42% who make contact many times a day). This compares with 47% of those without mobile internet access who communicate daily with their closest friend, including 27% who do so many times a day.

Focusing in on smartphone users, teens who have access to a smartphone also are likely to be in daily touch with their closest friend. Some 62% of teens with smartphone access are in touch with their closest friend daily, and 45% are in touch multiple times a day. In contrast, 51% of teens who do not have a smartphone (48% of whom have no access to a cellphone at all) are in daily contact with their closest friend.

Social media use also is correlated with more frequent friend interactions. Some 63% of teen social media users are in daily contact with their closest friend, including 44% who are in touch with their best friend multiple times a day. Among teens who do not use social media, 47% are in daily communication with their closest friend, and 30% connect with their closest friend many times a day. Teens who use a large number of social media platforms communicate even more frequently. Fully 78% of teens who use five or more social media sites say they are in touch with their closest friend daily, and about two-thirds say they are in touch many times a day.

Half of Teens Say Texting Is the Most Common Way They Communicate With Close Friends

Teens today have a number of ways to get in touch with each other, and they use them in various combinations. Some methods, however, are more favored than others. This survey asked teens about their preferred modes of digital communication with their closest friend - the first, second, and third most common way they get in touch online or on their phones.

Text messaging is the dominant form of digital communication among teens. Some 49% of all teens say text messaging is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend.

Following general texting patterns, teen girls are significantly more likely than teen boys to say texting is their first choice for getting in touch with their closest friend. Some 55% of girls say so, compared with 43% of boys. Older teens are also particularly likely to use texting as their primary means of getting in touch with a friend. Fully 54% of teens ages 15 to 17 say texting is the most common way they communicate with their closest friend, compared with 41% of teens ages 13 to 14.

Teens from affluent and highly educated households favor texting when communicating with close friends; minority teens and those from low-income, low-education households are more likely than other teens to rely on social media

Teens who live in relatively affluent households tend to rely more heavily on texting as a primary means of communication, while teens in lower-income households tend to say social media is how they stay in touch. Teens who live in households with an annual income of $75,000 or more are the most likely to say texting is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend - fully 58% say so compared with 41% of teens in households with an annual income less than $75,000.

Teens who live in households with the lowest annual income - $30,000 or less - are more likely than many wealthier teens to say social media is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. A third of teens in this group say so, compared with 16% of those in households with an annual income of $50,000 or more. Further, the 33% of low-income teens who say social media is the most common way they stay in touch is statistically similar to the 35% who say texting is their preferred method of communication.

Black and Hispanic youth are also more likely to say social media is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. Some 32% of black teens and 30% of Hispanic teens use social media as their primary communication method, both significantly higher than the 14% of whites who do so.

Teens with access to personal technology text their closest friend, while those without it use phone calls or social media to stay in touch. Smartphone owners notably differ from those with a basic phone or no phone.

Teens who access the internet via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets are more likely to say texting is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. Some 52% of teen mobile internet users say this, compared with 15% of those without access. This reflects the higher rates of smartphone access among teen mobile internet users - 78% say they have or have access to a smartphone, compared with 9% of non-users.

In turn, teens who have access to a smartphone are more likely to say texting is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. This is true of 58% of teens with smartphone access, compared with 30% of teens who only have access to a basic cellphone, and 19% who do not have access to a cellphone at all.

Teens without access to a smartphone are more likely to say social media is the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. Some 29% of teens without smartphone access say so, including 23% who only have access to a basic cellphone, and 37% who do not have access to any type of cellphone. This compares with 17% of teens with smartphone access.

Teens without access to a smartphone are also more likely to say phone calls are the most common way they get in touch with their closest friend. Some 21% of teens without smartphone access say so, including 22% of teens who only have access to basic phones, and 19% of teens who do not have access to any type of cellphone. Just 10% of teens with smartphone access say phone calls are the primary way they get in touch with their closest friend.

Phone-Based Methods Are Overall the Most Popular Ways That Teens Communicate With Closest Friends

Looking at the overall picture - combining answers to the first, second and third most common ways teens get in touch with their closest friend - texting comes out on top. Some 80% of teens say they use this as one of the three most common ways they get in touch. But phone calls - a technology from the analog era - are the second most popular method overall, with 69% of teens citing it as one of their choices. This is followed closely by the 66% of teens who say social media is in their top three preferences, while just 21% of teens noted gaming in any of their choices. Other communication methods, like video sharing, blogging and discussion sites were cited by 10% of teens or less.

Some 21% of teens, however, said "something else" to any of the three most common ways they get in touch with their closest friend. Write-in answers reveal that some teens use video chatting, like the popular iPhone service FaceTime, to get in touch with one another, as well as email.

Preferred method of getting in touch varies by demographic group

Girls are more likely to say they use texting, phone calls and social media as any of their three most common ways to get in touch with their closest friend. Some 84% of teen girls say texting is one of their preferred methods, while 75% say they use phone calls and 72% use social media. This compares to 75% of boys who text, 62% who make phone calls, and 60% who use social media. Teen boys, however, are more likely to note gaming among their top three methods of communication with close friends - 39% vs. only 3% of teen girls.

Black teens are more likely than their white and Hispanic peers to say phone calls are one of their three preferred methods of getting in touch with close friends. Some 84% of black teens say so, compared with 69% of whites, and 63% of Hispanic teens.

Teens who live in households with an annual income of $75,000 or higher are more likely than teens in lower-income households to say texting is one of the three most common ways they stay in touch with a close friend. This is true of 85% of teens from the most affluent households, compared with 71% of teens from households with annual incomes of less than $50,000.

Teens who have access to smartphones are more likely to note texting, phone calls and social media among the top three ways they prefer to get in touch with their closest friend. Some 86% of teens with smartphone access say texting is one of their top three ways, compared with 62% who do not have access to a smartphone. Some 71% of teens with smartphones make phones calls, a significant difference compared with the 62% of teens without smartphone access. Finally, some 68% of teens with access to a smartphone use social media to get in touch with a close friend, compared with 60% of teens without smartphone access. Teens without smartphones are more likely to report that they use "something else" to communicate with friends. In the open-ended response to this question, teens without smartphones notably told us that they used video chat platforms like Skype and FaceTime, as well as email, as some of their top ways to stay in touch with their best friend.

Why teens choose different platforms for talking with friends

Teens in our focus groups described the calculus they made in choosing different ways to communicate with friends for different purposes. One high school girl explained, "Like if you want to hang out with them, you would text them and be like, 'Hey. You want to do something?' If you're just trying to be like, 'you exist,' then you'd Snapchat them and be like, 'Hi! I love you!'"

Teens also tell us that they make different communication choices when talking with close friends and acquaintances - usually choosing phone-based communication for closer relationships. One high school boy described the distinction: "But for the direct message and stuff, that's usually for less close friends. For closer friends, I usually text or Snapchat." Another boy in the same group explained his choices, "Direct message on Instagram and messages on Facebook, it's not usually for close friends unless my phone isn't working for some reason."

A high school girl explains why she chooses to make voice calls with her best friend. "If it's your best friend. You'd be on the phone with them. It's because you have a lot to talk about. But like if it's just a regular friend, or you guys just associate from time to time, you typically text them because you don't really have anything to talk about."

For many teens, calling is reserved for more serious or intimate conversations. One high school girl explains, "It's awkward on occasion. For some people, I have to call them just because they don't have, like, Skype or anything. But I don't know. Calls are usually for just more important things."

For some teens, the platform they pick may be based on their friends' preferences. One high school girl told us, "One of my friends just doesn't like to talk on the phone, so I primarily text with her. But then my other friends, we FaceTime all the time. So it just depends on who I'm talking to."

For some teens, getting access to their phone number is something new friends must earn. One high school girl explained: "I'm just real picky because I don't like a lot of drama. So ... it took like basically a whole year. In the beginning of the school year, we continued to talk, and then ...we switched Kiks and then phone numbers. ... A lot of people tend to play on the phone, still. So young. So I just want to make sure that the person was capable of, like, being able to have my phone number."

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Chapter 2: How Teens Hang Out and Stay in Touch With Their Closest Friends

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Teens have many different kinds of friends. There are casual acquaintances, associates, classmates, school friends, friends from camp or church or dance or soccer, all with varying and shifting degrees of closeness. The preceding chapter of this report examined the role of digital technologies in the broad scope of teens' friendships.

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology and Friendship

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology and Friendship

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"62% of teens share their social media username as one of the first pieces of information they share as a way to stay in touch when they meet a brand new friend."

Lenhart, A. (2015, August 06). Teens, Technology and Friendships. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

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Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech

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Video games, social media and mobile phones play an integral role in how teens meet and interact with friends

This report explores the new contours of friendship in the digital age. It covers the results of a national survey of teens ages 13 to 17; throughout the report, the word "teens" refers to those in that age bracket, unless otherwise specified. The survey was conducted online from Sept. 25 through Oct. 9, 2014, and Feb. 10 through March 16, 2015, and 16 online and in-person focus groups with teens were conducted in April 2014 and November 2014.

For today's teens, friendships can start digitally: 57% of teens have met a new friend online. Social media and online gameplay are the most common digital venues for meeting friends

For American teens, making friends isn't just confined to the school yard, playing field or neighborhood - many are making new friends online. Fully 57% of teens ages 13 to 17 have made a new friend online, with 29% of teens indicating that they have made more than five new friends in online venues. Most of these friendships stay in the digital space; only 20% of all teens have met an online friend in person.

Boys are more likely than girls to make online friends: 61% of boys compared to 52% of girls have done so.

Older teens are also more likely than younger teens to make online friends. Some 60% of teens ages 15 to 17 have met a friend online, compared with 51% of 13- to 14-year-olds.

The most common spots for meeting friends online are social media sites like Facebook or Instagram (64% of teens who have made a friend online met someone via social media), followed by playing networked video games (36%). Girls who have met new friends online are more likely to meet them via social media (78% vs. 52% of boys), while boys are substantially more likely to meet new friends while playing games online (57% vs. 13% of girls).

Text messaging is a key component of day-to-day friend interactions: 55% of teens spend time every day texting with friends

The vast majority of teens (95%) spend time with their friends outside of school, in person, at least occasionally. But for most teens, this is not an everyday occurrence. Just 25% of teens spend time with friends in person (outside of school) on a daily basis.

For many teens, texting is the dominant way that they communicate on a day-to-day basis with their friends. Some 88% of teens text their friends at least occasionally, and fully 55% do so daily. Along with texting, teens are incorporating a number of other devices, communication platforms and online venues into their interactions with friends, including:

Instant messaging: 79% of all teens instant message their friends; 27% do so daily.

Social media: 72% of all teens spend time with friends via social media; 23% do so daily.

Email: 64% of all teens use email with friends; 6% do so daily.

Video chat: 59% of all teens video chat with their friends; 7% video chat with friends daily.

Video games: 52% of all teens spend time with friends playing video games; 13% play with friends daily.

Messaging apps: 42% of all teens spend time with friends on messaging apps such as Kik and WhatsApp; 14% do so every day.

Video games play a critical role in the development and maintenance of boys' friendships

Overall, 72% of teens ages 13 to 17 play video games on a computer, game console or portable device. Fully 84% of boys play video games, significantly higher than the 59% of girls who play games. Playing video games is not necessarily a solitary activity; teens frequently play video games with others. Teen gamers play games with others in person (83%) and online (75%), and they play games with friends they know in person (89%) and friends they know only online (54%). They also play online with others who are not friends (52%). With so much game-playing with other people, video gameplay, particularly over online networks, is an important activity through which boys form and maintain friendships with others:

Much more than for girls, boys use video games as a way to spend time and engage in day-to-day interactions with their peers and friends. These interactions occur in face-to-face settings, as well as in networked gaming environments:

16% of boy gamers play in person with friends on a daily or near-daily basis, and an additional 35% do so weekly. That amounts to 42% of all teen boys ages 13 to 17.

34% of boy gamers play over the internet with friends on a daily or near-daily basis, and another 33% do so weekly. That amounts to 55% of all teen boys ages 13 to 17.

When playing games with others online, many teen gamers (especially boys) connect with their fellow players via voice connections in order to engage in collaboration, conversation and trash-talking. Among boys who play games with others online, fully 71% use voice connections to engage with other players (this compares with just 28% of girls who play in networked environments).

All this playing, hanging out and talking while playing games leads many teens to feel closer to friends.

78% of teen online gamers say when they play games online it makes them feel more connected to friends they already know. That amounts to 42% of all teens ages 13 to 17.

52% of online-gaming teens feel more connected to other gamers (whom they do not consider friends) they play with online. That amounts to 28% of all teens ages 13 to 17.

Gaming boys are more likely than girls to report feeling more connected to other networked gamers.

84% of networked-gaming boys feel more connected to friends when they play online, compared with 62% of girls.

56% of boy gamers feel more connected to people they play networked games with who are not friends, as do 43% of gaming girls.

Teen friendships are strengthened and challenged within social media environments

Social media also plays a critical role in introducing teens to new friends and connecting them to their existing friend networks. Some 76% of teens ages 13 to 17 use social media and:

Social media helps teens feel more connected to their friends' feelings and daily lives, and also offers teens a place to receive support from others during challenging times.

83% of teen social media users say social media makes them feel more connected to information about their friends' lives.

70% of social media-using teens feel better connected to their friends' feelings through social media.

68% of teen social media users have had people on the platforms supporting them through tough or challenging times.

But even as social media connects teens to friends' feelings and experiences, the sharing that occurs on these platforms can have negative consequences. Sharing can veer into oversharing. Teens can learn about events and activities to which they weren't invited, and the highly curated lives of teens' social media connections can lead them to make negative comparisons with their own lives:

88% of teen social media users believe people share too much information about themselves on social media.

53% of social media-using teens have seen people posting to social media about events to which they were not invited.

42% of social media-using teens have had someone post things on social media about them that they cannot change or control.

21% of teen social media users report feeling worse about their own life because of what they see from other friends on social media.

Teens face challenges trying to construct an appropriate and authentic online persona for multiple audiences, including adults and peers. Consequently, many teens feel obligated to project an attractive and popular image through their social media postings.

40% of teen social media users report feeling pressure to post only content that makes them look good to others.

39% of teens on social media say they feel pressure to post content that will be popular and get lots of comments or likes.

Some conflict teens experience is instigated online

Girls are more likely to unfriend, unfollow and block former friends

When friendships end, many teens take steps to cut the digital web that connects them to their former friend. Girls who use social media or cellphones are more likely to prune old content and connections:

58% of teens who use social media or cellphones have unfriended or unfollowed someone they used to be friends with, and 45% of teens have blocked an ex-friend.

63% of girls who use social media or cellphones have unfriended or unfollowed an ex-friend, compared with 53% of boys.

53% of social media- or cellphone-using girls have blocked someone after ending a friendship, compared with 37% of boys.

Teens spend time with their closest friends in a range of venues. Texting plays a crucial role in helping close friends stay in touch

Along with examining the general ways in which teens interact and communicate with their friends, this report documents how and where teens interact with the friends who are closest to them. These "close friend" relationships loom large in the day-to-day social activities of teens' lives, as 59% of teens are in touch with their closest friend on a daily basis (with 41% indicating that they get in touch "many times a day").

School is the primary place teens interact with their closest friends. However, these best-friend interactions occur across a wide range of online and offline venues:

83% of teens spend time with their closest friend at school.

58% spend time with their closest friend at someone's house.

55% spend time with their closest friend online (such as on social media sites or gaming sites or servers).

Teens also use a wide range of communication tools to get in touch with their closest friend.

49% of teens say text messaging (including on messaging apps) is their first choice of platform for communicating with their closest friend.

20% say social media is their first-choice communication tool when talking with their closest friend.

13% say phone calls are the method they would choose first to talk with their closest friend.

6% say video games are their first-choice platform for talking with their closest friend.

Teens who live in lower-income households are more likely than higher-income teens to say they use social media to get in touch with their closest friend. Lower-income teens, from households earning less than $30,000 annually, are nearly evenly split in how they get in touch with these friends, with 33% saying social media is the most common way they do so and 35% saying texting is their preferred communication method. Higher-income teens from families earning $30,000 or more per year are most likely to report texting as their preferred mode when communicating with their closest friend. Modestly lower levels of smartphone and basic phone use among lower-income teens may be driving some in this group to connect with their friends using platforms or methods accessible on desktop computers.

Smartphone users have different practices for communicating with close friends

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teens have access to a smartphone, and smartphone-using teens have different practices for communicating with close friends. Teens with smartphones rely more heavily on texting, while teens without smartphones are more likely to say social media and phone calls are preferred modes for reaching their closest friend.

Girls are more likely to use text messaging - while boys are more likely to use video games - as conduits for conversations with friends

Compared with boys, girls tend to communicate more often with friends via texting and instant messaging:

62% of girls spend time with friends every day via text messaging, compared with 48% of boys.

32% of girls spend time with friends every day using instant messaging, compared with 23% of boys.

On the other hand, boys are much more likely than girls to interact and spend time with friends while playing video games:

74% of teen boys talk with friends while playing video games together, while 31% of girls report the same.

22% of boys talk daily with friends while playing video games, compared with just 3% of girls.

Phone calls are less common early in a friendship, but are an important way that teens talk with their closest friends

Some 85% of teens say they spend time with friends by calling them on the phone, and 19% do so every day. The perceived intimacy of the phone call as a communication choice means teens are less likely to use it immediately upon meeting a new friend, but they often prefer it when talking to close friends.

About half of teens (52%) indicate that a phone number for calling is one of the first three things they would share with a new friend, but just 9% indicate that this is the first thing they would share.

And when teens want to talk to their closest friend, phone calls are the second most popular method overall, with 69% of teens citing phone calls as one of their three choices.

84% of black teens say phone calls are one of the three most common methods they use to get in touch with close friends, compared with 69% of whites and 63% of Hispanic teens.

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Video games, social media and mobile phones play an integral role in how teens meet and interact with friends This report explores the new contours of friendship in the digital age. It covers the results of a national survey of teens ages 13 to 17; throughout the report, the word "teens" refers to those in that age bracket, unless otherwise specified.

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Technology, and Romantic Relationships

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"35% of Teens Have Some Experience with Dating or Romantic Relationships; 18% Are Currently in a Relationship of Some Kind"
Lenhart, A., Anderson, M., & Smith, A. (2015, October 01). Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

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Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech

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From flirting to breaking up, social media and mobile phones are woven into teens' romantic lives

Adolescence is a time of incredibly physical, social and emotional growth, and peer relationships - especially romantic ones - are a major social focus for many youth. Understanding the role social and digital media play in these romantic relationships is critical, given how deeply enmeshed these technology tools are in lives of American youth and how rapidly these platforms and devices change.

This study reveals that the digital realm is one part of a broader universe in which teens meet, date and break up with romantic partners. Online spaces are used infrequently for meeting romantic partners, but play a major role in how teens flirt, woo and communicate with potential and current flames.

This report examines American teens' digital romantic practices. It covers the results of a national Pew Research Center survey of teens ages 13 to 17; throughout the report, the word "teens" refers to those in that age bracket, unless otherwise specified. The survey was conducted online from Sept. 25 through Oct. 9, 2014, and Feb. 10 through March 16, 2015; 16 online and in-person focus groups with teens were conducted in April 2014 and November 2014. The main findings from this research include:

Relatively few American teens have met a romantic partner online

Overall, 35% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have ever dated, hooked up with or been otherwise romantically involved with another person, and 18% are currently in a romantic relationship. Though 57% of teens have begun friendships in a digital space, teens are far less likely to have embarked on a romantic relationship that started online. A majority of teens with dating experience (76%) say they have only dated people they met via offline methods. One-quarter (24%) of teen "daters" or roughly 8% of all teens have dated or hooked up with someone they first met online. Of those who have met a partner online, the majority met on social media sites, and the bulk of them met on Facebook.

Social media is a top venue for flirting

While most teen romantic relationships do not start online, technology is a major vehicle for flirting and expressing interest in a potential partner. Along with in-person flirting, teens often use social media to like, comment, "friend" or joke around with someone on whom they have a crush. Among all teens:

Digital flirting has "entry-level" and more sophisticated elements for teens, depending on the nature of the relationship and their experience with virtual flirting strategies

Each of the flirting behaviors measured in the survey is more common among teens with previous dating experience than among those who have never dated before. But while some of these behaviors are at least relatively common among dating neophytes, others are almost entirely engaged in by teens with prior relationship experience.

When it comes to "entry-level" flirting, teens who have never been in a romantic relationship are most comfortable letting someone know that they are interested in them romantically using the following approaches:

Flirting or talking to them in person: 39% of teens without dating experience have done this.

Friending them or taking part in general interactions on social media: Roughly one-third (37%) of teens without dating experience have friended someone they are interested in romantically and a similar 34% have liked, commented on a post or otherwise interacted with a crush on social media.

Sharing funny or interesting things with them online. Some 31% of teens without dating experience have done this.

On the other hand, more advanced and sometimes overtly sexually suggestive online behaviors are most often exhibited by teens who have prior experience in romantic relationships:

Girls are more likely to be targets of uncomfortable flirting tactics

Not all flirting behavior is appreciated or appropriate. One-quarter (25%) of all teens have unfriended or blocked someone on social media because that person was flirting in a way that made them uncomfortable.

Just as adult women are often subject to more frequent and intense harassment online, teen girls are substantially more likely than boys to experience uncomfortable flirting within social media environments. Fully 35% of all teen girls have had to block or unfriend someone who was flirting in a way that made them uncomfortable, double the 16% of boys who have taken this step.

Social media helps teen daters to feel closer to their romantic partner, but also feeds jealousy and uncertainty

Many teens in relationships view social media as a place where they can feel more connected with the daily events in their significant other's life, share emotional connections, and let their significant other know they care. At the same time, teens' use of social media sites can also lead to feelings of jealousy or uncertainty about the stability of their relationships. However, even teens who indicate that social media has played a role in their relationship (whether for good or for bad) tend to feel that its role is relatively modest in the grand scheme of things.

Among teen social media users with relationship experience (30% of the overall population of those ages 13 to 17):

59% say social media makes them feel more connected to what's happening in their significant other's life; 15% indicate that it makes them feel "a lot" more connected.

47% say social media offers a place for them to show how much they care about their significant other; 12% feel this way "a lot."

44% say social media helps them feel emotionally closer to their significant other, with 10% feeling that way "a lot."

27% say social media makes them feel jealous or unsure about their relationship, with 7% feeling this way "a lot."

Boys are a bit more likely than girls to view social media as a space for emotional and logistical connection with their significant other

Among teens ages 13 to 17 who use social media and have some relationship experience:

65% of boys say social media makes them feel more connected with what's happening in their significant other's life (compared with 52% of girls). Some 16% of these boys report that these platforms make them feel "a lot" more connected.

50% of boys say social media makes them feel more emotionally connected with their significant other (compared with 37% of girls). Some 13% of boys feel "a lot" more emotionally close.

Teen daters like being able to publicly demonstrate their affection and show support for others' romantic relationships. Yet they also find it allows too many people to be involved in their personal business

For some teens, social media is a space where they can display their relationship to others by publicly expressing their affection on the platform. More than a third (37%) of teens with relationship experience (also called "teen daters" throughout this report) have used social media to let their partner know how much they like them in a way that was visible to other people in their network. As noted above, teen daters say social media makes them feel like they have a place to show how much they care about their boyfriend, girlfriend or significant other. A bit less than half of teens (47%) say they feel this way about social media.

Teens also use social media to express public support or approval of others' romantic relationships. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teens with dating experience have posted or liked something on social media as a way to indicate their support of one of their friends' relationships. Girls are especially likely to support friends' relationships on social media: 71% of girls with dating experience have done so, compared with 57% of boys.

But even as they use social media to show affection, display their relationships and support their friends' relationships, many teen daters also express annoyance at the public nature of their own romantic partnerships on social media. Some 69% of teen social media users with dating experience agree that too many people can see what's happening in their relationship on social media; 16% of this group "strongly" agrees.

Many teens in romantic relationships expect daily communication with their significant other

Most teens in romantic relationships assume that they and their partner will check in with each other with great regularity throughout the day.

When asked about their partner's expectations for their own communication, a similar pattern emerges.

88% of teens in romantic relationships say their partner expects to hear from them at least once a day.

15% say they are expected to check in hourly.

38% are expected to do so every few hours.

35% are expected to do so once a day.

Texting, voice calls and in-person hanging out are the main ways teens spend time with their significant others

When it comes to spending time with a significant other, teens say texting is the top method, but phone calling and in-person time mix with other digital means for staying in touch. Asked how often they spent time with their current or former boyfriend, girlfriend or significant other on particular platforms, teen daters told us they use:

Text messaging - 92% of teens with romantic relationship experience have spent time text messaging with their partner at least occasionally.

Talking on the phone - 87% have spent time talking on the phone with their significant other.

Being together in person - 86% have spent time together in person, outside of school hours.

Social media - 70% have spent time together posting on social media sites.

Instant or online messaging - 69% have spent time with their significant other using instant or online messaging.

Video chat - 55% say they have spent time with their partner video chatting.

Messaging apps - 49% have used messaging apps to stay connected to their partner.

Email - 37% have used email to spend time with a significant other.

Talk while playing video games - 31% talk with their partner while playing video games together.

Teens consider the text message breakup to be socially undesirable, but a sizeable number of teens with relationship experience have been broken up with - or have broken up with others - using text messaging

The most socially acceptable way to break up with someone is by having an in-person conversation, and these conversations are the most common way that breakups occur in a "real-world" setting. While most teens rate an in-person talk as the most acceptable way to break up with someone, some 62% of teens with relationship experience have broken up with someone in person, and 47% have been broken up with through an in-person discussion.

Text messaging - which is widely viewed as one of the least acceptable ways of breaking up with someone - is more common in the context of actual relationships than its perceived acceptability might indicate. Some 27% of teens with relationship experience have broken up with someone via text message, 31% have been broken up with in this way.

Phone calls, which are seen as the second-most acceptable way of breaking up with someone, are just as common as a breakup text; 29% of teens with relationship experience have broken up with someone over the phone, and 27% have been broken up with in this way.

And breakups through social media (which, like texts, are also viewed as having low levels of acceptability) are also relatively common - 18% of teens with dating experience have experienced or initiated a breakup by sending a private social media message, changing their relationship status on Facebook or posting a status update.

Relatively small numbers of teen daters engage in potentially controlling or harmful digital behavior to a partner or ex-partner

Dating isn't always a positive experience for youth, in person or digitally. In this study, we asked teen daters about a number of things they might have done online or with a phone to someone they were dating or used to date. These behaviors fall on a spectrum of seriousness, from potentially innocuous to troubling. And most of these activities are highly dependent on context - as one person's cute is another person's creepy.

11% of teen daters have accessed a mobile or online account of current or former partner.

10% have modified or deleted their partner's or ex-partner's social media profile.

10% have impersonated a boyfriend, girlfriend or ex in a message.

8% of teens have sent embarrassing pictures of a current or former partner to someone else.

4% have downloaded a GPS or tracking program to a partners' device without their knowledge.

A small share of teen daters have experienced potentially abusive or controlling behavior by a current or former partner

Beyond perpetrating potentially inappropriate or harmful behavior, teen daters also can be the recipients of -possibly more serious - controlling or potentially abusive experiences at the hands of significant others. These questions ask about nine experiences and whether they occur during a relationship and/or after a relationship ends. And like the practices our survey respondents told us they engaged in above, these behaviors and experiences are in some cases dependent on context of the interaction.

During a relationship teens are most likely to experience:

31% of teens with dating experience report that a current or former partner has checked up on them multiple times per day on the internet or cellphone, asking where they were, who they were with or what they were doing.

26% of teen daters report that their partner checked up on them during their relationship.

5% of teen daters report that a former partner checked up on them multiple times per day after their relationship ended.

21% of teen daters report that a current or former boyfriend, girlfriend or partner has read their text messages without permission.

18% of teen daters report such an experience during the course of their relationship.

3% report that a partner read their texts without permission after their relationship had ended.

15% of teen daters (or 5% of all teens) say a current or former partner used the internet or text messaging to pressure them to engage in sexual activity they did not want to have.

10% of teen daters report that this happened during a relationship.

5% report that a former partner did this to them after a relationship ended.

Potentially controlling and harmful behaviors teens experience both during and after a relationship with similar frequency:

16% of teen daters have been required by a current or former partner to remove former girlfriends or boyfriends from their friends list on Facebook, Twitter or other social media.
10% of teens experience this during their relationship; 7% experience it after a breakup.

13% of teens with dating experience report that their current or former partner demanded that they share their passwords to email and internet accounts with them.
And teens are about equally as likely to experience this during a relationship (7%) as after a relationship ends (5%).

11% of teens with relationship experience report that a current or former partner has contacted them on the internet or on their cellphone to threaten to hurt them.

8% of teens with dating experience have been threatened digitally by an ex.

4% experienced this during a relationship.

8% of teen daters report that a current or ex-partner used information posted on the internet against them, to harass or embarrass them.
4% had this happen during a relationship, and another 4% have experienced this after the relationship ended.

After a relationship ends, teens are more likely to experience:

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Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships

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From flirting to breaking up, social media and mobile phones are woven into teens' romantic lives Adolescence is a time of incredibly physical, social and emotional growth, and peer relationships - especially romantic ones - are a major social focus for many youth.

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Social Media & Technology

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Pew Research Reports- Teens, Social Media & Technology

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"Fully 87% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a desktop or laptop computer, and 58% of teens have or have access to a tablet computer."
Lenhart, A. (2015, April 08). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from

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Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech

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24% of teens go online "almost constantly," facilitated by the widespread availability of smartphones.

Aided by the convenience and constant access provided by mobile devices, especially smartphones, 92% of teens report going online daily - including 24% who say they go online "almost constantly," according to a new study from Pew Research Center. More than half (56%) of teens - defined in this report as those ages 13 to 17 - go online several times a day, and 12% report once-a-day use. Just 6% of teens report going online weekly, and 2% go online less often.

Much of this frenzy of access is facilitated by mobile devices. Nearly three-quarters of teens have or have access to a smartphone and 30% have a basic phone, while just 12% of teens 13 to 17 say they have no cell phone of any type. African-American teens are the most likely of any group of teens to have a smartphone, with 85% having access to one, compared with 71% of both white and Hispanic teens. These phones and other mobile devices have become a primary driver of teen internet use: Fully 91% of teens go online from mobile devices at least occasionally. Among these "mobile teens," 94% go online daily or more often. By comparison, teens who don't access the internet via mobile devices tend to go online less frequently. Some 68% go online at least daily.

African-American and Hispanic youth report more frequent internet use than white teens. Among African-American teens, 34% report going online "almost constantly" as do 32% of Hispanic teens, while 19% of white teens go online that often.

Facebook is the most popular and frequently used social media platform among teens; half of teens use Instagram, and nearly as many use Snapchat

Facebook remains the most used social media site among American teens ages 13 to 17 with 71% of all teens using the site, even as half of teens use Instagram and four-in-ten use Snapchat.
71% of teens use more than one social network site
Teens are diversifying their social network site use. A majority of teens - 71% - report using more than one social network site out of the seven platform options they were asked about. Among the 22% of teens who only use one site, 66% use Facebook, 13% use Google+, 13% use Instagram and 3% use Snapchat.

This study uses a somewhat different method than Pew Research Center's previous reports on teens. While both are probability-based, nationally representative samples of American teens, the current survey was administered online, while our previous work involved surveying teens by phone. A great deal of previous research has found that the mode of interview - telephone vs. online self-administration - can affect the results. The magnitude and direction of these effects are difficult to predict, though for most kinds of questions, the fundamental conclusions one would draw from the data will be similar regardless of mode. Accordingly, we will not compare specific percentages from previous research with results from the current survey. But we believe that the broad contours and patterns evident in this web-based survey are comparable to those seen in previous telephone surveys.

Facebook remains a dominant force in teens' social media ecosystems, even as Instagram and Snapchat have risen into a prominent role in teens' online lives. Asked which platforms they used most often, the overall population of teens in this sample (ages 13 to 17) reported that Facebook was the site they used most frequently (41% said that), followed by Instagram (20%) and Snapchat (11%).

Boys are more likely than girls to report that they visit Facebook most often (45% of boys vs. 36% of girls). Girls are more likely than boys to say they use Instagram (23% of girls vs. 17% of boys) and Tumblr (6% of girls compared with less than 1% of boys). Older teens ages 15 to 17 are more likely than younger teens to cite Facebook (44% vs. 35% of younger teens), Snapchat (13% vs. 8%) and Twitter (8% vs. 3%) as a most often used platform, while younger teens ages 13 to 14 are more likely than their older compatriots to list Instagram (25% vs. 17% of older teens) as a platform they visit most often.

Middle and upper income teens lean toward Instagram and Snapchat

The survey data reveals a distinct pattern in social media use by socio-economic status. Teens from less well-off households (those earning less than $50,000) are more likely than others to say they use Facebook the most: 49% of these teens say they use it most often, compared with 37% of teens from somewhat wealthier families (those earning $50,000 or more).

Teens from more affluent households are somewhat more likely than those from the least affluent homes to say they visit Snapchat most often, with 14% of those from families earning more than $75,000 saying Snapchat is their top site, compared with 7% of those whose families earn less than $30,000 annually. Twitter shows a similar pattern by income, with the wealthiest teens using Twitter more than their least well-to-do peers. It should be noted that some of these differences may be artifacts of differences in use of these sites by these different subgroups of teens.

Smartphones facilitate shifts in teens' communication and information landscape

As American teens adopt smartphones, they have a variety of methods for communication and sharing at their disposal. Texting is an especially important mode of communication for many teens. Some 88% of teens have or have access to cell phones or smartphones and 90% of those teens with phones exchange texts. A typical teen sends and receives 30 texts per day

And teens are not simply sending messages through the texting system that telephone companies offer. Some 73% of teens have access to smartphones and among them messaging apps like Kik or WhatsApp have caught on. Fully 33% of teens with phones have such apps. And Hispanic and African-American youth with phones are substantially more likely to use messaging apps, with 46% of Hispanic and 47% of African-American teens using a messaging app compared with 24% of white teens.

Girls dominate social media; boys are more likely to play video games

Teenage girls use social media sites and platforms - particularly visually-oriented ones - for sharing more than their male counterparts do. For their part, boys are more likely than girls to own gaming consoles and play video games.

Data for this report was collected for Pew Research Center. The survey was administered online by the GfK Group using its KnowledgePanel, in English and Spanish, to a nationally representative sample of over 1,060 teens ages 13 to 17 and a parent or guardian from September 25 to October 9, 2014 and February 10 to March 16, 2015. In the fall, 1016 parent-teen pairs were interviewed. The survey was re-opened in the spring and 44 pairs were added to the sample. For more on the methods for this study, please visit the Methods section at the end of this report.

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Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015

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24% of teens go online "almost constantly," facilitated by the widespread availability of smartphones. Aided by the convenience and constant access provided by mobile devices, especially smartphones, 92% of teens report going online daily - including 24% who say they go online "almost constantly," according to a new study from Pew Research Center.