Millennials Stand Out in Digital Life, but Older Generations Are Also Embracing It

According to Pew Research, roughly 92% of Millennials (those turning 22 to 37 in 2018) own a smartphone. Only 85% of Gen Xers (ages 38 to 53), 67% of Baby Boomers (those ages 54 to 72) and 30% of the Silent Generation (ages 73 to 90) own one. While Millennials top the chart, studies show that some in older generations are also embracing the digital life.

Millennials lead in social media use on smartphones, specifically on relatively newer platforms like Instagram (52%) and Snapchat (47%). When it comes to tablet use, however, Gen Xers have outpaced Millennials for years and rank higher in Facebook use.

Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation trail both the Gen Xers and Millennials on most technology measures; however, their technology adoption rates have grown rapidly in recent years. A majority of Boomers are very likely to own a smartphone while at least half own a tablet and use social media.