Livria
21-11-2007, 00:37
Close To Nine In Ten Teens Use The Internet
The vast majority of teens in the United States, 87% of those aged 12 to 17, now use the
internet. That amounts to about 21 million youth who use the internet, up from roughly
17 million when we surveyed this age cohort in late 2000. Not only has the wired share
of the teenage population grown, but teens’ use of the internet has intensified. Teenagers
now use the internet more often and in a greater variety of ways than they did in 2000.
There are now approximately 11 million teens who go online daily, compared to about 7
million in 2000.
87% of U.S. teens aged 12-17 use the internet, up from 73% in 2000. By contrast,
66% of adults use the internet, up from 56% in 2000.
51% of teenage internet users say they go online on a daily basis, up from 42% in
2000.
At the same time, the scope of teens’ online lives has also broadened. One out of every
two teens who use the internet lives in a home with a broadband connection. Wired teens
are more frequent users of instant messaging. And they are now more likely to play
games online, make purchases, get news, and seek health information.
81% of teen internet users play games online. That represents about 17 million
people and signifies growth of 52% in the number of online gamers since 2000.
76% get news online. That represents about 16 million people and signifies growth
of 38% in the number of teens getting news online since 2000.
43% have made purchases online. That represents about 9 million people and
signifies growth of 71% in teen online shoppers since 2000.
31% use the internet to get health information. That represents about 6 million people
and signifies growth of 47% in the number of teens using the internet this way since
2000.
Still, despite this momentum, 13% of American teenagers — or about 3 million people
— still do not use the internet. About half (47%) of teens who say they do not go online
have been online before but have since dropped off. Those teens who remain offline are
clearly defined by lower levels of income and limited access to technology. They are also
disproportionately likely to be African-American. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nearly all teens in households earning more than $75,000 per year are online, most of
them with high-speed connections.
An overwhelming majority of all teenagers, 84%, report owning at least one personal
media device: a desktop or laptop computer, a cell phone or a Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA). 44% say they have two or more devices, while 12% have three and 2% report
having all four of those types of devices. Only 16% of all teens report that they do not
have any of these devices at all.
Going to Junior High seems to be the tipping point when many teens who were not
previously online get connected. While about 60% of the 6th graders in our sample
reported using the internet, by 7th grade, it jumps to 82% who are online. From there, the
percent of users in the teen population for each grade climbs steadily before topping out
at 94% for eleventh and twelfth graders. Much of the lag among sixth graders appears to
come from boys. Fewer than half (44%) of 6th grade boys report going online, compared
to 79% of sixth grade girls.
More than half (51%) of those approximately 21 million teens who use the internet say
they go online at least daily. Some 24% of online teens report going online several times
a day, and 27% report going online once a day. This 51% reflects an increase from when
we asked this question previously as a part of our December 2000 survey,6 when 42% of
teens reported daily internet use.
About a third (35%) of online teen users say they go online weekly, with 21% reporting
3-5 days a week of internet use and 13% 1-2 days of internet use per week. These weekly
figures reflect a drop from our 2000 survey, when 45%, the largest percentage of online
teens reported going online on a weekly basis.
There is another small but significant group of online teens who have comparatively low
frequencies of internet use. About 14% of adolescent internet users report going online
less often than weekly ― 8% say they go online every few weeks and the remainder say
they go online less often. This 14% figure reflects no statistically significant change from
when we first recorded that 13% of youth go online less often than once a week in 2000.
Instant messaging has become the digital communication backbone of teens’ daily lives.
About half of instant-messaging teens — or roughly 32% of all teens — use IM every
single day. As the platforms for instant messaging programs spread to cell phones and
handheld devices, teens are starting to take textual communication with them into their
busy and increasingly mobile lives. IM is a staple of teens’ daily internet diet and is used
for a wide array of tasks — to make plans with friends, talk about homework
assignments, joke around, check in with parents, and post “away messages” or notices
about what they are doing when they are away from their computers.
75% of online teens — or about two-thirds of all teenagers — use instant messaging,
compared to 42% of online adults.
48% of teens who use instant messaging say they exchange IMs at least once every
day.
The vast majority of teens in the United States, 87% of those aged 12 to 17, now use the
internet. That amounts to about 21 million youth who use the internet, up from roughly
17 million when we surveyed this age cohort in late 2000. Not only has the wired share
of the teenage population grown, but teens’ use of the internet has intensified. Teenagers
now use the internet more often and in a greater variety of ways than they did in 2000.
There are now approximately 11 million teens who go online daily, compared to about 7
million in 2000.
87% of U.S. teens aged 12-17 use the internet, up from 73% in 2000. By contrast,
66% of adults use the internet, up from 56% in 2000.
51% of teenage internet users say they go online on a daily basis, up from 42% in
2000.
At the same time, the scope of teens’ online lives has also broadened. One out of every
two teens who use the internet lives in a home with a broadband connection. Wired teens
are more frequent users of instant messaging. And they are now more likely to play
games online, make purchases, get news, and seek health information.
81% of teen internet users play games online. That represents about 17 million
people and signifies growth of 52% in the number of online gamers since 2000.
76% get news online. That represents about 16 million people and signifies growth
of 38% in the number of teens getting news online since 2000.
43% have made purchases online. That represents about 9 million people and
signifies growth of 71% in teen online shoppers since 2000.
31% use the internet to get health information. That represents about 6 million people
and signifies growth of 47% in the number of teens using the internet this way since
2000.
Still, despite this momentum, 13% of American teenagers — or about 3 million people
— still do not use the internet. About half (47%) of teens who say they do not go online
have been online before but have since dropped off. Those teens who remain offline are
clearly defined by lower levels of income and limited access to technology. They are also
disproportionately likely to be African-American. On the opposite end of the spectrum, nearly all teens in households earning more than $75,000 per year are online, most of
them with high-speed connections.
An overwhelming majority of all teenagers, 84%, report owning at least one personal
media device: a desktop or laptop computer, a cell phone or a Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA). 44% say they have two or more devices, while 12% have three and 2% report
having all four of those types of devices. Only 16% of all teens report that they do not
have any of these devices at all.
Going to Junior High seems to be the tipping point when many teens who were not
previously online get connected. While about 60% of the 6th graders in our sample
reported using the internet, by 7th grade, it jumps to 82% who are online. From there, the
percent of users in the teen population for each grade climbs steadily before topping out
at 94% for eleventh and twelfth graders. Much of the lag among sixth graders appears to
come from boys. Fewer than half (44%) of 6th grade boys report going online, compared
to 79% of sixth grade girls.
More than half (51%) of those approximately 21 million teens who use the internet say
they go online at least daily. Some 24% of online teens report going online several times
a day, and 27% report going online once a day. This 51% reflects an increase from when
we asked this question previously as a part of our December 2000 survey,6 when 42% of
teens reported daily internet use.
About a third (35%) of online teen users say they go online weekly, with 21% reporting
3-5 days a week of internet use and 13% 1-2 days of internet use per week. These weekly
figures reflect a drop from our 2000 survey, when 45%, the largest percentage of online
teens reported going online on a weekly basis.
There is another small but significant group of online teens who have comparatively low
frequencies of internet use. About 14% of adolescent internet users report going online
less often than weekly ― 8% say they go online every few weeks and the remainder say
they go online less often. This 14% figure reflects no statistically significant change from
when we first recorded that 13% of youth go online less often than once a week in 2000.
Instant messaging has become the digital communication backbone of teens’ daily lives.
About half of instant-messaging teens — or roughly 32% of all teens — use IM every
single day. As the platforms for instant messaging programs spread to cell phones and
handheld devices, teens are starting to take textual communication with them into their
busy and increasingly mobile lives. IM is a staple of teens’ daily internet diet and is used
for a wide array of tasks — to make plans with friends, talk about homework
assignments, joke around, check in with parents, and post “away messages” or notices
about what they are doing when they are away from their computers.
75% of online teens — or about two-thirds of all teenagers — use instant messaging,
compared to 42% of online adults.
48% of teens who use instant messaging say they exchange IMs at least once every
day.