Almost every teenager in the US owns an iPhone, study finds

If you've been wondering what smartphone camp the US teen population is in, wonder no more. A recent study done by the American investment bank Piper Sandler shows that almost every teen in the US owns an iPhone, and every fourth will be upgrading to the iPhone 17 this fall.

The study was done among 6,455 teens living in the US with an average age of 16.2 years and an average income of $65,995 for the household the kids are living in. Nine of every ten participants of the survey own an iPhone, and there are some interesting insights about the most popular social platforms the teens use as well.

The top spot is still occupied by Instagram—about eight of every ten kids use the platform monthly. TikTok came a close second, followed by Snapchat. Only 31% of US teens watch Netflix, and YouTube consumption is even lower at 26%.

Here are some key statistics from the study:

• 88% of US teens own an Apple iPhone
• 25% are expected to upgrade to the upcoming iPhone 17
• 87% of teens use Instagram monthly
• 79% of teens use TikTok
• 72% of the surveyed group use Snapchat

These results look even more interesting when we look at another research done by Counterpoint, reporting that the average selling price of Apple iPhone devices has surpassed $900.

It turns out that most teenagers in the US not only own an iPhone, but most likely they have a premium model and not the $599 iPhone 16e.

This could change, as the smartphone market is in a state of uncertainty due to Trump's tariff situation. The president put a 90-day pause on tariffs for several countries. However, Trump not only excluded China from the pause but also hiked the percentage to 125% "effective immediately."

Here's a part of the statement from the White House:

"Based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the [US Trade Representative], to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately." - Donald Trump, president of the United States

It's still not clear how these tariffs will affect iPhone prices and whether or not teenagers will have to reach for more budget options in the future, such as the aforementioned iPhone 16e. Meanwhile, people are rushing to iPhone stores to buy devices in case of a potential price increase. Apple overstocked iPhone 16 models to battle any supply chain issues, and the company says the reserve should last at least a couple of months.

Since 2001, Piper Sandler's study has been conducted every two years. It has gathered more than 64 million data points on teen spending over the years after questioning over 274,273 teenagers.