Teens are known to be early adopters of new technology and digital platforms, but a new Nielsen study finds that readers aged 13-17 often choose print.

This group of younger consumers “continues to lag behind adults when it comes to reading e-books, even with the Young Adult genre’s digital growth relative to the total e-book market,” the study showed. “While 20% of teens purchasing e-books, 25% of 30-44 year olds and 23% of 18-29 year olds buy digital copies. While younger readers are open to e-books as a format, teens continue to express a preference for print that may seem to be at odds with their perceived digital know-how.”

Several factors may lead to this tendency toward print, such as parents’ preference for print or teens’ lack of credit cards for online purchases. Nielsen also offers another possible explanation, the fact that teens have a “penchant for borrowing and sharing books rather than purchasing them, which is easier to do in print.”

Discovery of new books and authors, however, is more dependent on word-of-mouth for this age group, so social media plays a significant role.

“Teens, especially teen girls, are more social about their reading compared to older generations, with 45% of teens at least moderately influenced by references to books on social network sites like Facebook and Twitter,” according to Nielsen. “And a similar 45% of teens are at least moderately influenced by teen-oriented websites containing reviews and author interviews.”

But once teen readers find an author they like, it’s easier to maintain their interest with book series.

“The biggest single source of influence for teen readers is enjoying an author’s previous books,” according to Nielsen. “So while authors and publishers have a challenge trying to hook a teen reader in the first time, they’ll likely have an easier time getting them to stick with that author.”

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