Say Goodbye to the Phone Call: Study Shows Texts Dominate Teen Communication

So much for talking to your friends over the phone like the good ol’ days! A new Pew Research Center survey shows that texting has officially replaced talking on the phone for hours as the dominant form of communication, at least for teens.

The median number of texts sent each day by teen users is now 60, up from 50 in 2009. Phone calls have steadily fallen since that time. Interestingly, the heaviest texters also make the most phone calls. Smart phones are also (though not surprisingly) gaining higher traction in the teenage community. 23% of teens between 12-17 say that they own and operate a smart phone. Smart phone ownership is highest among older teens with 31% between 14-17 owning one, and only 8% between 12-13 owning one.

WARNING! Potentially boring facts about the surveying technique before an interesting bar-graph that explains it all visually: Pew did two surveys and conducted 7 focus groups with teens between 12 and 19 in the greater Washington DC metro area between Jan. and Feb. 2011. The participants were brought in by word of mouth, emails, school solicitation, and non-profit orgs. 57 teens participated in the focus groups in total, with each group averaging 8 to 14 people.

For the surveys, Pew did telephone interviews between Apr. and Jul. 2011, with a sample size of 799 teens between 12 and 17 as well as their parents in the continental US. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International.

Okay, here’s that colorful bar graph I promised you:

Do you text more than you talk on the phone?