Teenagers: What we really, really want our mobiles for…

Teenagers are often portrayed as sulky and uncommunicative but, as they are some of the most prolific users of digital technology, that image may be due a rethink.

Alongside email, phone and face-to-face interactions, today’s under-18s are using social networking sites, instant chat and text to communicate – connecting with family and friends more than 50 times each day.

But although this generation is more familiar than its elders with digital technology, it is also more wary about the potential dangers, particularly regarding online privacy.

Under-18s trust companies online far less than those aged 18 to 24 and are also more skilled at keeping their personal information safe, according to Intersperience Research’s Digital Futures study.

A quarter of under-18s are confident in their ability to protect their personal information online, compared to 16 per cent of those aged 18 to 24, and 43 per cent are aware of how their privacy can be broken online compared to 32 per cent of the older category.

This is because under-18s are very adept at using digital devices and are better informed about online behaviour, says Maria Twigge, insight manager at Intersperience Research.

“They’ve grown up using the internet and have access to much more information so they’re better informed generally, which transfers into their awareness of online privacy,” she adds.

As a result, if teenagers are concerned about the integrity of a website or if businesses are not open about how they intend to use personal data, many have no qualms about supplying fake details to protect their privacy: 22 per cent of under-18s and 23 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds would consider giving out false information.

“The businesses that are transparent about what they are doing will be the ones that are able to establish relationships with young people. There is a real need for brands to be open and upfront about their terms and conditions because this age group is so savvy about privacy,” says Twigge.

The research explores the views of more than 1,000 eight- to 17-year olds, and is complemented by diaries looking at how teenagers use digital devices, alongside face-to-face focus groups and one-on-one, or family interviews with eight- to 12-year-olds. Similar research was carried out among older age groups for comparison.

One key finding is that teenagers are becoming sophisticated multitaskers. Under-18s are 23 per cent more likely than those older to use multiple devices and divide their attention between many internet tasks.

Over 55 per cent say they can concentrate on what they are doing on one device while still being aware of what is happening on other gadgets.

This rises to 64 per cent for 14- to 17-year-olds, buy only 39 per cent for 18 to 24 year olds.

This has implications for marketers, because although there might be more opportunity for brands to interact with young people as they are operating in wider networks and are used to processing lots of different sources of information, it also affects their loyalty.

“It is more difficult to have an enduring relationship with young people today because they are used to talking with lots of people and have looser connections,” says Twigge. “So while it might be easier to get them to switch brands, at the same time it will be more difficult to establish long-term relationships.”

Dorota Rewinska, insight manager at Intersperience Research, believes the rise in multitasking impacts on content delivery.

She explains: “Because young people use so many different devices at the same time, they expect a service that is either the same or similar across all channels. They might start something on their laptop but complete it on their mobile, so they want [the process] to be seamless across all devices. At the moment it can be quite disjointed, especially on mobile.”

Since under-18s switch between devices frequently, content also needs to be instantly engaging to grab their attention, adds Rewinska.

Teenagers’ desire to be connected to the internet at all times has accelerated the popularity of mobile phones, which is also more personal than some other connected devices. While an iPad might be shared by the whole family, a phone is normally used by an individual.

Just under two-thirds (65 per cent) of under-18s say mobile internet is designed for people like them who are always on the go and want immediate access, compared to 48 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds who say the same. Meanwhile, 59 per cent of teenagers believe a mobile phone is an appropriate device to access the internet compared to 46 per cent of young adults.

The nature of use also differs between the two age groups, with under-18s using mobile internet predominantly as a communication and entertainment tool (69 per cent compared to 57 per cent of 18 to 24s), while 18 to 24 year olds use mobile internet primarily for information (73 per cent compared to 59 per cent of under 18s), which is more in line with adults generally.

Again, it comes back to the fact that today’s teenagers have grown up connected, with heavy use of the internet and mobile devices starting between ages eight to 10, according to the research. Because they are life-long users Twigge says they take it for granted that everyone, including businesses, will use mobile internet as a method of communication.

“Teenagers are heavy users of technology so they expect businesses to have the same skills and deliver the same services they get from their friends, but that’s not necessarily the case and many companies are struggling to keep up.

“Businesses need to do a lot more to understand the reasons teenagers are using all these communication channels,” she adds.

This constant connectivity has created a more impatient consumer group that expects an instant response. One area where this is particularly important is customer service. While teenagers might email initially, if they don’t get a response they will then try calling and, if they still don’t get a reply, they may tweet the company.

Brands need to understand teenagers’ motivation for using different channels in order to understand which channels they need to respond to quickly and how they should do it.

Twigge says: “Even though a brand might not be able to resolve a query quickly via Twitter, if they just acknowledge the tweet the young person feels that they are being listened to. Brands can still get back to them on the phone or via email at a later time to resolve the issue but it’s about understanding that on Twitter they expect that immediacy.”

As a result, Twigge predicts that service expectations will change in the future.

“Young people are much more demanding. They are more impatient. They expect a personalised service and they expect it to be responsive and proactive.”

Both the under-18s and 18 to 24 age groups use all customer service channels and while email and phone are now the two strongest methods of communication, the rise of social networking and instant chat are set to increase rapidly, although they are unlikely to replace email and phone completely.

Under-18s are the most frequent users of social networking and instant messenger on mobile devices. Almost half (46 per cent) say they access social sites on their mobile phone, with 61 per cent of under-18s using social networking sites everyday, and 64 per cent using instant messenger, which steadily decreases the older the category.

Consumer habits are changing, which is particularly clear among teenagers. Brands need to understand the way today’s under-18s communicate and replicate that to remain relevant if they are to have any hope of building relationships with this fickle group. As the age group grows older and becomes the target customer, knowing how to communicate with them effectively across multiple devices will only become more important.