THE AMERICAN TEENAGER

Facts, Statistics and (Half-baked) Theories







@zbgoodwin

CONTEXT

AGE

11 years old — born 2002
12 years old — born 2001
13 years old — born 2000
14 years old — born 1999
15 years old — born 1998
16 years old — born 1997

Average age = 13.5

Hypothesis

The only cultural references that matter for this cohort will have taken place after ~2004 (after age 8).

WORLD EVENTS SINCE 2004

  • 2004: George W. Bush re-elected
  • 2004: Facebook launches
  • 2004: Madrid train bombing
  • 2005: Hurricane Katrina flood NOLA
  • 2005: London bombings
  • 2005: YouTube launches
  • 2005: Female chancellor of Germany elected
  • 2006: Twitter launches 

WORLD EVENTS SINCE 2004

  • 2006: Iraq flounders; Saddam executed
  • 2006: Fewest weddings in UK in 110 years
  • 2007: Global economic downturn
  • 2007: iPhone released
  • 2007: Google launches StreetView
  • 2007: Virginia Tech massacre 
  • 2008: China hosts the Olympic Games

WORLD events since 2004

  • 2008: Madoff ponzi scheme
  • 2008: Female candidate for Vice President
  • 2008: Barack Obama elected 
  • 2009: Tallest building in the world in Dubai
  • 2010: iPad debuts
  • 2011: Osama Bin Laden killed
  • 2012: World economic crisis continues

HYPOTHESIS 

  • They have grown up in the most rapid / radical period of technological expansion since the industrial revolution.  Every year has seen substantial, unpredictable change / invention. 

HYPOTHESIS

  • Social technology has always existed, it's as ordinary and unremarkable as cars, radio and television
  • Smart phones have always existed, and recently become fully omnipresent
  • The world is regularly being unsettled by unpredictable (and some times unexplainable) terrorist acts by non-state actors
  • Non-western countries (China, India) have always been powerful
  • The global economy has always lunged from boom to world-wide crisis
  • The world's most identifiable successes are often women, and (traditional) minorities

TEEN ARCHETYPES

ARCHETYPES


Teacups — extremely fragile, nuanced to their own discomfort and problems.  Difficult time handling criticism, fear failure disproportionately.  Need huge amounts of outside support

Toasties — worked extremely hard since a young age.  Over-committed, pressured to succeed.  Lack personal passion but are good achievers. Exhausted / burnout.


ARCHETYPES

Turtles— wait for things to work out.  They're lazy, apathetic and passionless.

Toasties — parents have spent a lifetime telling them they're special.  They expect the best, and assume they are the center of everyone's attention.  They expect big rewards for hard work, and ample congratulations on every achievement.

Portrait

  • Teens carry $30 and have $742.70 in their bank account
  • They primarily get money from asking their parents (51%), via allowance (29%), from gifts (43%) and from a job (30%)
  • They spend most of their money on eating out (25%), snacks (23%), beverages (21%), candy (14%)
  • During summer: time is spent at work, the mall, camp, the beach

PORTRAIT

  • Teen's favorite brands: Reese's, iPod, Google, M&M's, Oreo's, Subway, Hershey's, Target, Sprite and Microsoft
  • Teen's favorite clothing brands: American Eagle, Forever 21, Aeropostale, Hollister, Levi's
  • 3 in 4 teens discuss media or entertainment brands at least one a day

MOST-DISCUSSED TEEN BRANDS

  1. Coca-Cola
  2. Apple
  3. Verizon
  4. iPod
  5. Ford
  6. Pepsi
  7. McDonald's
  8. AT&T
  9. Sony
  10. Nike
  11. Dell 
  12. Chevrolet
  13. Microsoft

PORTRAIT

  • Influential teen's tend to have older siblings, middle to upper class backgrounds, and are attractive
  • Teens spend 10 hours a day sleeping, three hours engaged in educational activities
  • Girls work as camp counselors or baby sitters, boys as day laborers and landscapers 
  • 40% of teens spend 3 - 6 hours a day online (probably dated)

SMARTPHONES

  • Nearly all teens have cell phones
  • 48% of US teens already own an iPhone (Source)
  • 62% plan on buying an iPhone 
  • 22% plan on buying an Android device 
  • 51% have or have access to a tablet at home
  • They send 3,339 texts a month

TEEN ROLL MODELS

  • 37% — Relative other than parent
  • 11% — Teacher, coach
  • 9% — Friend
  • 6% — Celebrity
  • 5% — Sports hero

IN-GAME / SOCIAL PURCHASES

  • 35% — Points, credits to buy virtual items in game
  • 33% — Music
  • 30% — Clothing, accessories for avatar in game
  • 23% — Points, credits to advance in game
  • 23% — Virtual pet
  • 19% — Virtual items to help advance in game
  • 16% — New levels, maps for game
  • 16% — Virtual gift for someone else
  • 16% — Online subscription to play game
  • 14% — Themes, wallpaper 
  • 14% — Complete game download
  • 14% — New expansion pack / sequel 

VIDEOGAME GENRES

  • 74% — Racing (Mario Kart)
  • 72% — Puzzle (Tetris)
  • 68% — Sports (Madden)
  • 67% — Action
  • 66% — Adventure
  • 61% — Rhythm (Guitar Hero)
  • 47% — First-person shooter
  • 21% — MMOG (World of Warcraft)

Social networks

GENERAL STATS 

From July 2012 (Source)

  • 93% of teen social media users have a Facebook account
  • 12% have a Twitter account
  • 45% of 12 year olds user social sites / 82% of 13 year olds
  • Girls are twice as likely to use Twitter (22% girls v. 10% of boys)
  • Black teens are 3 times as likely to be on Twitter as whites / hispanics 
  • 34% of all black teens use Twitter
  • 39% of Parents "friend" their children
  • Teens use social to chat / IM, not post photos and videos

INSTAGRAM

  • Facebook doesn't disclose demographic data for Instagram
  • Officially, only those 13 and older can use Instagram
  • Very difficult to track teen/tween use on Instagram, but it's the most-used "photography" site for those 13 - 17, beating out the much larger Flickr
  • Recent trends: beauty contest using the hashtag (#rateme, #beautyconstest)
  • Recent trends: parents catching on

FACEBOOK

  • 60% check everyday.  Growing trends away from Facebook, however, due to the presence of parents.

FAVorite TV Shows

The Vampire Diaries 
Pretty Little Liars
Glee
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