Ahhh, that's an interesting question!
[Please bear in mind that I don't "own" a cell phone]On the one hand, I think younger people are more likely to be engaged by/with a cell phone. The "instant gratification" aspect (e.g., I don't answer the land line; let it take a message and I'll check on it sometime later that day -- "it can wait"). I think most of them would consider a ringing cell phone in their purse/pocket tantamount to an "itch" on the tip of the nose while your hands are otherwise "unavailable" (to scratch it). I.e., almost *impossible* to ignore!
And, IME, young people tend to be more engaged socially (even if they never *do* anything "in person"; they are more integrated with a larger number of individuals/groups). As one gets older, the pool of people that we're (IME) willing to spend much time "frittering away" shrinks. We're more likely to *see* each other if we want to enjoy each other's company.
[We also tend to have more responsibilities and less "free time" to fritter away on trivialities]OTOH, I think "older people" (relative term, eh? :> ) tend to not be as comfortable with the technology. Certainly less willing to "waste" much time sorting out all the things that
*could* be done, potentially ("Which button do I press to make a call? How do I hang up??") I know very few "older people" who will sit down and try to impress me with the laundry list of "features" that their phone supports.So, the less familiarity might translate into greater *distraction* (per event) among older folks; more effort required to get the phone to do what you expect a TELEPHONE to be able to do!
OToOH, older people seem to be more inclined to pull over to the side of the road to make a call. I will often see cars parked nearby and wonder why they are sitting there. Only to discover they are on the phone, talking. Keep in mind, this is a residential area, there is no "back exit" from the neighborhood and there's only another block or two of homes
*beyond* this one!Translation: they thought it wise to pull over *now* instead of "two blocks hence". By contrast, I suspect most "kids" would just jabber away as they drove those last few blocks.