How having smartphones (or not) shapes the way teens communicate
It may seem as if basic or flip phones are a thing of the past, given that 73% of teens have a smartphone. But that still leaves 15% of teens who only have a basic cellphone and 12% who have none at all, and it makes a difference in the way each group communicates, according to a recent 
Outside of the different communication channels that teens use to interact, having a smartphone helps teens more frequently stay in contact with their close friends and forge new relationships online.
Smartphone-using teens are more likely to be in daily contact with their closest friend than teens without smartphone access (62% vs. 51%). They are also more likely to have made a friend online: Six-in-ten teens with a smartphone have made at least one friend online, compared with 48% of those who do not use smartphones. There is also a bit more drama associated with smartphone-using teens. They are more likely to say they have argued with a friend about something that first happened online or via text than those who do not have a smartphone (29% vs. 19%).
But having a smartphone, and the constant access to the Web it provides, does not mean that teens are not interacting with their close friends face-to-face. In fact, teen smartphone users are more likely to say they spend time with their closest friend at a number of in-person activities, including at school, at someone's house or while shopping. Non-smartphone-using teens are more inclined to interact with their best friend at a place of worship, while there is no difference based on extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs, in a neighborhood, at work or online.
