Student Smartphone Usage on the Rise

Teenage students send over 3,000 text messages per month. Surprised? You shouldn't be. According to a study from Nielsen Media, students between the ages of 13 and 17 heavily utilize text messaging, app downloads, and data on their mobile devices.

Teenage girls send, on average, 4,050 texts per month, while teen boys send an average of 2,539 texts. These stats show that students are sending eight percent more texts now than they were this time last year. What's more is that 43 percent of teenagers say texting is the #1 reason they get a mobile device. For those of us in the education field, understanding the trends among students is an important step in understanding how students today think and how we can best "reach" them.

Not surprisingly, teenagers find texting easier than making traditional voice calls. Voice calls have decreased 14 percent among teenage students; however data and app usage is on the rise. Educators must learn to harness the power of modern technology. With the rise of mobile usage, should necessarily come a paradigm shift in instructional methods.

An exciting example comes from Abilene Christian University. Abilene distributes the iPhone to two-thirds of its incoming freshmen class. Students use the smart phones to brainstorm ideas and to access digital handouts and podcasts. Instructors use the iPhones for administrative tasks like taking attendance. Methods to be adopted by other educational institutions remain to be seen, but one thing is clear: a mobile screen should not create a barrier between teachers and students.

Photo Credit: William Hook