Apple Continues to Dominate Teen Buying Preferences, Growing Lead Over Competitors Like Venmo and Rolex

Apple devices and services continue to dominate teen purchasing preferences in the United States, but more teens choose to not use iCloud Private Relay compared to those that use or plan to use the feature, according to new data gathered by investment firm Piper Sandler for its most recent biannual teen survey.

According to the report, 87 percent of surveyed teens in the United States now own an iPhone, and 87 percent expect their next smartphone to be an iPhone. In addition, 72 percent of teens already own AirPods.

Apple Watch ownership continues to climb among teens, reaching 37 percent, up from 34 percent last fall. 14 percent of teens now intend to buy an Apple Watch within the next six months.

Apple Watch is now overwhelmingly the most popular watch brand among upper-income teens, with 42 percent of upper-income teens saying that Apple is their favorite watch brand. Apple has gradually climbed up the list of the most popular watch brands among upper-income teens, reaching the milestone of taking the top spot from Rolex in the fall of last year. As of spring 2022, the Apple Watch now stands well ahead of the next three most popular watch brands, with Rolex at 33 percent, Garmin at two percent, and Fossil at two percent.

Apple Pay is still the most popular payment service among teens, capturing 23 percent of the mobile payments market, well ahead of Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal. The popularity of ‌Apple Pay‌ may be partly attributed to 87 percent of teens owning an iPhone.

41 percent of teens are currently using iCloud Private Relay or are interested in using it in the next six months, but 45 percent of teens have Apple devices and choose to not use ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay, and do not plan to do so in the future.

The findings are part of Piper Sandler's "Taking Stock With Teens" survey, seen by Apple 3.0, which asked 7,100 teenagers with an average age of 16.2 and a median household income of $69,298 about their purchasing habits and brand preferences. This survey has been an ongoing project since 2001, providing long-term insights into teens' thinking.