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Teen iPhone Ownership Continues to Soar

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple's iPhone continues to be incredibly popular with U.S. teens, according to Piper Sandler's latest biannual teen survey. 88 percent of teens surveyed said that they own an iPhone, and 88 percent said they intend to purchase an iPhone as their next device.

iphone-16-pro-pro-max.jpg

Teen iPhone ownership numbers have increased three percent since April 2024, and are near record highs. The iPhone has long been the most popular smartphone among teens in the United States, and there has been steady growth in teen ownership. 10 years ago in April 2015, 66 percent of teens surveyed owned an iPhone.

Though teen interest in the iPhone is high, other Apple products and services are not as popular. Apple has not made inroads with Apple TV+, and it continues to trail Spotify as the most popular music service among teenagers.

45 percent of teens surveyed have a paid Spotify subscription, while Apple Music is the second most popular streaming service with 30 percent of teens reporting an Apple Music subscription. Because Spotify has a free tier, it's still the most popular service overall, with 65 percent of teens using it. Apple TV+ is not popular with teens, and less than one percent say they watch Apple TV+ shows. Netflix and YouTube were most popular with 31 percent and 26 percent of teens reporting usage, respectively.

Approximately 31 percent of teens own a virtual reality device, but most of those have an Oculus (25 percent). Just one percent of teens have an Apple Vision Pro, which is not a surprise given the price of Apple's device. Of teens that have a VR device, 60 percent said that they seldom use it, with just four percent reporting being a frequent daily user.

Piper Sandler surveyed 6,455 teens across 43 states for the spring 2025 report.

Article Link: Teen iPhone Ownership Continues to Soar
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/09/teen-iphone-ownership-continues-to-soar/
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MacRumors said:
Because Spotify has a free tier, it's still the most popular service overall, with 65 percent of teens using it. Apple TV+ is not popular with teens, and less than one percent say they watch Apple TV+ shows. Netflix and YouTube were most popular with 31 percent and 26 percent of teens reporting usage, respectively.
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Ah so teens are choosing Spotify because of the free tier but not choosing TV+ despite it being cheaper than Netflix.

It's almost as if none of Apple's services are very good.

EDIT: Also 45% have a paid Spotify account vs 30% Apple Music but Spotify was the most popular overall due to the free tier?!
 
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turbineseaplane said:
I've noticed ...

They roam around the malls in the Seattle area, heads down, nearly walking into walls and other people.

We've created a society of ADHD plagued, depressed, device addicted, know very little, TikTok subsumed zombies.
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That’s not just teenagers. Usually people 40 or younger. Then you have people I’d say 55 and older walking around with a phone call attached to their face
 
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Mrkevinfinnerty said:
Ah so teens are choosing Spotify because of the free tier but not choosing TV+ despite it being cheaper than Netflix.

It's almost as if none of Apple's services are very good.

EDIT: Also 45% have a paid Spotify account vs 30% Apple Music but Spotify was the most popular overall due to the free tier?!
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Start with a specific fact and make it into a general case. That’s called hyperbole.
 
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No surprise here, but take a long hard look at the categories of products and services that target teens. Ever since the "Valley Girl" phenomenon in the 80s, most successful consumer companies have realized just how powerful teens are on how their parents spend.
 
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ProbablyDylan said:
As someone that worked with kids not too long ago - MR readers might be surprised by the social stigma that comes with android phones. Especially for young people where that kind of thing feels like it matters
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It’s not 2012 lol.

Teens really stopped caring about that years ago.

repoman016 said:
As someone who came in to the ecosystem with the 5s, I have no reason to looks elsewhere (Apple really pisses me off sometimes too)
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Other ecosystems are inferior so you’re not missing much.
I7guy said:
Start with a specific fact and make it into a general case. That’s called hyperbole.
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Mrkevinfinnerty said:
It isn't, sorry.

View attachment 2500724
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Yay you can google. lol. But No that very much is hyperbolic. As well as anecdotal.
cjsuk said:
Not for long!
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Lmao they certainly won’t be switching to Android.

Mrkevinfinnerty said:
EDIT: Also 45% have a paid Spotify account vs 30% Apple Music but Spotify was the most popular overall due to the free tier?!
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Because clearly ppl still more have a free Spotify vs an Apple Music account.
 
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Those teens will have to start mowing more lawns! Framework came out with 10% extra for US consumers + a delay in the US on their new 12”. That 10% will increase as Framework are temporarily taking a hit.
 
Aeronauts said:
I find it difficult to believe those numbers. They must have only asked teens from wealthy families.
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Lmao again as I said before it’s not 2012. iPhones aren’t anymore expensive than Android. In fact the new galaxy models are just as expensive and sometimes more than iPhones.

Also in America, can’t speak for other countries, prepaid companies are giving out iPhone 12,12,13 and 14 for free to $100.

So yeah this is not shocking at all.
 
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scorpio vega said:
Yay you can google. lol. But No that very much is hyperbolic. As well as anecdotal.
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Yeaah, you might want to Google what anecdotal means. All of the data backs up that none of Apple's services are really 'best in class', they don't lead any of the markets they occupy.

These surveys highlight that extremely well as it demonstrates how little interest there in some of the services despite how popular Apple's platform is.
 
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I already thought this was a trend 3-4 yrs ago. I very rarely see anyone under the age of 20 use an Android phone.

Other growing trends are teenagers with AirPods and Apple Watches to go along with their iPhones.
 
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Mrkevinfinnerty said:
Yeaah, you might want to Google what anecdotal means. All of the data backs up that none of Apple's services are really 'best in class', they don't lead any of the markets they occupy.

These surveys highlight that extremely well as it demonstrates how little interest there in some of the services despite how popular Apple's platform is.
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Language has shifted "up" just like inflation. What was "hyperbole" is now "literally". What was "anecdotal" is now "factual". What was "opinion" is now "truth".
 
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