Smartphone ownership in the U.S. runs from 97% of adults aged 18 to 29 down to 78% of those 65 and older, based on Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey. This page covers smartphone users by age across adults, teens, children under 9 and the 50-plus group. It closes with age patterns from ITU’s global estimates and India’s 2025 telecom survey.
Smartphone Users by Age
Smartphone Users by Age Group in the U.S.: 97% at 18–29, 78% at 65+
Smartphone ownership falls with each older bracket in Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey. It drops from 97% among adults 18 to 29 to 78% among those 65 and older.
Across all U.S. adults, 91% own a smartphone and 98% own a cellphone of some kind. For shipment and vendor data, see these global smartphone market figures.
| Age group | Cellphone | Smartphone | Cellphone, but not a smartphone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | 99% | 97% | 2% |
| 30–49 | 99% | 96% | 3% |
| 50–64 | 98% | 90% | 7% |
| 65+ | 95% | 78% | 16% |
Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, survey of 5,022 U.S. adults, Feb. 5–June 18, 2025
Do Most Americans 65 and Older Own a Smartphone?
Yes. In 2025, 78% did. Another 16% carry a cellphone that is not a smartphone, and 95% of this age group own a cellphone of some kind.
National ownership read 91% in both the 2024 and 2025 surveys. Pew’s first smartphone measure, from 2011, read 35%.
Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, surveys of U.S. adults 2011–2025
Which Age Group Depends Most on a Smartphone for Internet Access?
Adults under 30 lead. In 2025, 27% of them owned a smartphone but had no home broadband, up from 21% in 2024.
The rate held at 11% for ages 30–49 and at 17% for ages 65 and older. It moved from 14% to 15% for ages 50–64.
Adults 65 and older are the least likely group to own a smartphone. They still show higher smartphone-only rates than adults 30 to 49. Pew marks a change in survey mode in 2023, so readings before and after that year come from different methods.
For how phones split total web visits, see this breakdown of mobile website traffic.
| Age group | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18–29 | 20% | 21% | 27% |
| 30–49 | 11% | 11% | 11% |
| 50–64 | 14% | 14% | 15% |
| 65+ | 16% | 17% | 17% |
Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, share of U.S. adults who own a smartphone but do not use home broadband, pooled surveys 2013–2025
Teen Smartphone Users by Age: 13–14 vs. 15–17
Smartphone access among U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 held at 95% in Pew’s 2022, 2023 and 2024 surveys.
Source: Pew Research Center, Teens Survey topline, Sept. 18–Oct. 10, 2024 (1,391 teens)
Pew’s fall 2025 survey of 1,458 teens found that 97% use the internet daily. Forty percent are online almost constantly, down from 46% in 2024 but up from 24% in 2014–15.
Older teens report higher use on each measure below. Three-quarters of 15- to 17-year-olds use Instagram, compared with 44% of 13- to 14-year-olds, a gap worth reading next to Instagram’s worldwide audience.
| Measure (fall 2025) | Ages 13–14 | Ages 15–17 |
|---|---|---|
| Online almost constantly | 34% | 43% |
| Use Instagram | 44% | 75% |
| Use AI chatbots | 57% | 68% |
| Use AI chatbots daily | 24% | 31% |
Source: Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025, survey of 1,458 U.S. teens, Sept. 25–Oct. 9, 2025
YouTube was the only platform Pew measured that younger and older teens use at equal rates.
The share of teens on TikTok almost constantly rose to 21% in 2025, from 16% in 2022. TikTok’s global user counts show the platform’s scale beyond U.S. teens.
Source: Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and AI Chatbots 2025, Sept. 25–Oct. 9, 2025
How Young Are First-Time Device Owners?
Common Sense Media’s 2025 Census counts devices that children age 8 and under own themselves. Caregivers reported the data in 2024.
Tablets come first. Forty percent of children own one by age 2, and 58% own one by age 4.
Phones arrive later. By age 8, nearly 1 in 4 children have their own cellphone.
Across the full 0–8 range, 51% own a mobile device, either a tablet or a cellphone. Daily screen time held near 2.5 hours, while gaming time rose 65% in four years.
These figures measure ownership. Pew’s teen figure measures access, so the two do not line up as one age curve.
Source: Common Sense Media, The 2025 Common Sense Census: Media Use by Kids Zero to Eight, published Feb. 26, 2025 (2024 survey data)
Adults 50+: AARP Puts Smartphone Ownership at 90%
AARP’s 2026 Tech Trends report puts smartphone ownership among U.S. adults 50 and older at 90% in 2025. The figure was 55% in AARP’s first tech survey in 2016.
| Adults 50+ | Earlier reading | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Own a smartphone | 55% (2016) | 90% |
| Bought technology in the past year | 67% (2024) | 71% |
| Use AI | 18% (2024) | 30% |
Source: AARP Research, 2026 Tech Trends and Adults 50-Plus, online survey of 3,838 U.S. adults, Sept. 9–Oct. 6, 2025
Adults in this group spent an average of $756 on technology in 2025. Smartphones and their accessories topped the purchase list.
Texting is now their lead way to communicate, and nine in 10 use social media. Their platform choices overlap with the most-used social networks worldwide.
Source: AARP Research, 2026 Tech Trends and Adults 50-Plus, 2025 data
Pew’s 2025 survey covers similar ages with a different design. It reports 90% for ages 50–64 and 78% for ages 65 and older, using address-based sampling with web, mail and phone options.
Source: Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet, Feb. 5–June 18, 2025
Beyond the U.S.: Phone Use by Age in ITU and India’s 2025 Data
Worldwide
ITU estimates that 82% of people aged 15 to 24 use the internet, against 72% of the rest of the population. These are internet-use estimates, not smartphone counts.
The youth gap appears in every region and has narrowed over the last four years, ITU reports. Youth use has reached at least 95% in Europe, the CIS region and the Americas.
Separately, ITU estimates 82% of people aged 10 and over own a mobile phone. That share is 53% in low-income economies.
Source: ITU, Measuring Digital Development: Facts and Figures 2025 (2025 estimates)
India
India’s National Statistics Office surveyed 142,065 persons from January to March 2025. Among those aged 15 to 29, 97.1% used a mobile phone in the prior three months and 73.4% owned one.
Ownership means a device with an active SIM for personal use. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, it trails the 15-and-above rate in three of four groups. Rural women are the exception, at 51.7% versus 48.4%.
Mobile use is higher for 15- to 24-year-olds than for the 15-and-above population in every group.
| Group | Ages 15–24 | Ages 15 and above |
|---|---|---|
| Rural male | 98.0% | 89.5% |
| Rural female | 95.7% | 76.3% |
| Urban male | 97.6% | 95.0% |
| Urban female | 96.9% | 86.8% |
Source: MoSPI, Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom 2025 press note, share of persons who used a mobile phone in the last three months, Jan–Mar 2025
FAQs
What age group uses smartphones the most?
Adults aged 18 to 29 lead, with 97% owning a smartphone in Pew Research Center’s 2025 survey. Ownership reads 96% at 30–49, 90% at 50–64 and 78% at 65 and older.
What percentage of seniors have a smartphone?
Pew puts ownership at 78% for Americans 65 and older in 2025. AARP’s online survey reports 90% for all adults 50 and older in 2025, using a different method and age range.
At what age do kids get their first phone?
Phones come after tablets. Common Sense Media’s 2025 Census found nearly 1 in 4 children own a cellphone by age 8, while 40% own a tablet by age 2.
What percentage of teens have a smartphone?
Ninety-five percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 had or had access to a smartphone in Pew’s fall 2024 survey. Pew recorded the same share in 2022 and 2023.
How many teens use Reddit?
About one in five or fewer, according to Pew’s fall 2025 teen survey. Boys are more likely than girls to use Reddit, at 21% versus 12%.
