The Pew Research Center conducts research on technology use.
Below are the findings for different age ranges (18–29, 30–49, 50-64, 65 and older) of people in the US with various technologies.
Almost everyone from ages 18 to 50 uses a smart phone. For the group from 50-64 usage drops to 83%, and drops down to 61% for people over 65.Around 80% of people in the 18 to 50 age group use social media, with the number dropping to 73% for the 50 to 64 age group, and down to 45% for the over 65 group.Everyone uses the internet. There is not much difference amongst the age groups in terms of use vs. not use, however the amount of internet time does vary with age. Half of those ages 18 to 29 said they were online “almost constantly,” compared with 42% of 30-49 year olds, 22% of those 50 to 64 and 8% of those 65 and older.Young people are more likely to use their smartphones to avoid boredom or avoid people than are older people.
Takeaways
Watch out for making too many age assumptions. It is common for designers to assume that the younger you are the more technology you use. This is true for some types of technology, but not for all.Instead of making assumptions, research the particular usage you are interested in for your products and use the actual data.
Published on July 15, 2025 07:50
