Youth and their choices regarding BBM vs. SMS Insights & data on why SMS volumes are dropping while BBM (and other messaging platforms) are gaining among youth.

1. BBM versus SMS A message to heed: SMS volumes will drop by 20 percent in the next two years in countries where BBM is popular among youth ft.com/instant messaging insights into mobile & youthculture mobileYouth Europe Live! Every Thursday @ 12:30 GMT Flickr: Claire_Sambrook

2. Y Feverish chatting on their mobile phones is youth’s preferred means of keeping in touch with friends. ‘ How’ is not important. Sending - receiving messages and saving money are. That’s why BBM is gaining fans! Flickr:Hellokayce_x

3. Y The main driver is BlackBerry as its messaging service, BBM is free of operator charges . In the era of ‘Mindful Spending’ on the average, 15% of Youth’s disposable income is spent on mobile services. Flickr: Csaila Flickr: Remo del Orbe

4. Y Youth have many choices and their friends are a big influence on what brands they buy. As they start switching to BBM, their friends switch as well. Flickr: Alegrya

5. Y The average age of owning one’s first phone is 7 . ( Years that is, not months… :)) … but one thing is for certain, phones fascinate youth! ‘ My phone is my friend’ is how they view their phones. Flickr: gsuras Flickr: gsuras Flickr: PhotographybyPaul

6. Y 60% of youth sleep with their phones, some send and receive as many as 500 texts each day! Their phone is more than a friend . It is an extension of their personas . Flickr: Like Mad

7. Y As more youth discover free ‘instant messaging’ with BBM or with smartphone apps such as WhatsApp or Beluga , they are leading their friends along in the conversion journey. In many countries, BBM usage has increased by 500 % in recent years and more than 39 million people around the world use it. Once again, young people are making a difference. Flickr: Abul Hussain

8. Thank you for your time today! Flickr: Werner Schnell Please come back next week to learn more on youth and their mobile devices…