They've seen full-blown graphics, whereas Japanese teens haven't. Language accounts for another significant difference, says Longobardo. Different educational schedules also influence mobile phone usage, Longobardo adds. This gives them less leisure time than American kids. There's definitely a lifestyle difference there that affects phone usage.
Asian teens are away from home more, so they'll use their mobile more.
If their peers on the cutting edge are following a certain style, the rest will follow. They also generally have extra time to experiment with devices, for instance to learn to enter info on a mobile-phone keypad. Japanese things like Hello Kitty tend to be on the cute side, while those products are targeted toward a younger audience here in the States. For American teens it's usually the overall design, material, or typeface that makes a product cool, not its licensed character, says Dan Drath, a research director with Teenage Research. And the Nokia phone with the interchangeable faceplate is the teen's phone.