6 takeaways about teen friendships in the digital age
From measuring teens' internet usage to finding out what devices they own, Pew Research Center has been examining the 
Teens use a number of platforms and devices to keep in touch with friends, but text messaging is used on a daily basis much more than others. Roughly nine-in-ten teens (88%) spend time with their friends via text messaging at least occasionally, and 55% do so every day. Phone calling, instant messaging and social media are also popular ways for teens to spend time with friends, but in comparison with texting, they are used far less for daily interactions. Few teens keep in touch with friends on a daily basis by email or video chatting.
Roughly one-in-four teens have fought with a friend because of something that first happened online or because of a text message. While a majority of teens have not fought with a friend over something that initially occurred online, 26% of teens have experienced this type of digitally facilitated conflict. Teen girls (32%) are more likely than their male counterparts (20%) to say they have had this type of conflict, while whites are more likely than blacks to have fought with a friend because of something that happened online.
Video games play an important role in the development and maintenance of friendships – especially for teen boys. Roughly three-quarters (78%) of online gaming teens say they feel more connected to existing friends with whom they play games. For boys, that share is even higher, with 84% saying networked games make them feel more connected to friends when they play, compared with 62% of girls. Overall, boys are much more likely than girls to make new friends while playing games online (57% vs 13%). Boys also spend more time playing video games with friends: 16% of boys play videos games in person with friends every day or almost every day, compared with just 5% of girls.
