Google says American teens love voice search -- some use it in the bathroom

Google voice search is awesome; I use it every day in the car or at home. If I want to know the weather, I just ask and it tells me. It helps me find the phone numbers for my favorite pizzerias and Chinese food restaurants, and when I am lost, I just say "take me home" and it does!

Like I said, it is awesome, but apparently, teens are using it more than adults. According to a new Google study, 55 percent of teens in the USA are using voice search; these young people are often the barometers of the next big thing. The search giant should be elated that this important demographic is embracing voice search; however, the study does not only include Google, but also Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.

"Voice search is a key feature of the Google app that's becoming ever more important as people spend more time on their mobile phones. We wanted to learn more about how people of all ages use Google hands-free on their phones. We found that for teens, voice search comes as naturally as checking social media and they're getting very creative about how (and where) they use it. The study gives us great ideas about new ways we could help people -- maybe even help them find their keys and other elusive objects", says Scott Huffman, Google's Vice President for Conversational Search.

The search giant explains, "when asked to 'pick one thing you wish you could ask your phone to do for you', 45 percent of American teens selected 'send me a pizza'. More pragmatic adults wished they could ask their phone to 'tell me where my keys are', though 'send me a pizza' was also popular among 36 percent of adults. A nearly equal number of teens and adults (34 percent and 33 percent, respectively) want their smartphones to one day tell them where to find their TV's remote control. With Oct. 31 just a few weeks away, 16 percent of teens wish their phone could tell them what costume to wear on Halloween".

Google shares the following statistics:

• 40 percent use voice search to ask for directions.
• 39 percent use the feature to dictate a text message.
• 32 percent do so to make a phone call.
• 23 percent of adult Americans use voice search "when I'm cooking".
• 51 percent of teens (and 32 percent of adults) use voice search "just for fun".
• 27 percent use voice search to check the weather.

Clearly, voice search is here to stay and becoming more popular all the time. However, there will always be situations where it is not appropriate in public, such as verbally asking your phone "find me the nearest proctologist" or "where can I get an escort" -- some things will likely remain entered with a keyboard. According to Google, however, 22 percent of teens are even using voice search in the bathroom, and quite frankly, that is probably the best place to ask private questions.

Do you use voice search? Tell me about it in the comments.

Photo credit: leungchopan / Shutterstock