Nielsen: U.S. teens triple mobile data consumption in last year

Teenagers in the U.S. more than tripled their mobile data consumption over the last year, sending more messages than subscribers in any other demographic, according to new data issued by Nielsen.

Click here to view charts from the Nielsen study.

Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 consumed an average of 320 MB of mobile data per month during the third quarter of 2011, up 256 percent year-over-year--an annual increase larger than any other age group, Nielsen states.

Male teens are leading the charge, using 382 MB each month while females consumed 266 MB.

Teens exchanged an average of 3,417 SMS and MMS messages per month during the third quarter, averaging seven messages every waking hour. Females send and receive an average of 3,952 messages each month, compared to 2,815 among males. Alongside messaging, teens also favor data-heavy mobile activities like web access, social networking, email and applications.

Nielsen adds that voice usage has declined from 685 minutes per month in the third quarter of 2010 to 572 minutes during the most recent quarter. Asked why they prefer messaging to voice calling, 22 percent of teens cite speed, 21 percent point to ease of use, and 18 percent say it's more fun.

For more:
- read this release

Related articles:
Nielsen: 62% of U.S. smartphone owners download apps
Nielsen: Facebook dominates Android app usage across age groups
Study: Americans spend more time on mobile devices than print media
Nielsen: 62% of U.S. subscribers aged 25-34 own smartphones