Teenagers Driving Popularity of Wireless - IDCTeenagers Driving Popularity of Wireless - IDC

Young users are driving mass market acceptance of wireless technology, a study released Tuesday by IDC says.

The study found that 40 percent of 15 to 19-year-olds in the U.S. subscribe to a wireless service. They typically use applications like short message service, gaming and ringtone downloads but also will lead to adoption of more advanced applications like video messaging, according to the study.

"One of the most important aspects of youth and young adult usage of wireless is the creation of the perfect mini-ecosystem for advanced wireless applications," Scott Ellison, IDC's program director for wireless and mobile communications, said in a statement. "Youth and young adults can teach their parents and other adults about new wireless data applications such as MMS."

The study noted that, as was the case with PC adoption in the home, teenagers will tend to persuade their parents to adopt the new technology. As this trend continues, parents will embrace the technology because it will allow them to communicate with their children, the study noted.