Nielsen: Teens Spend Barely a Third as Much Time Online as Adults

Ben Patterson: The Gadget Hound, Yahoo Tech

Worried that the youth of America is wasting away in front of a computer screen? Well, consider this: according to a new survey, U.S. adults actually spend way more time surfing than teenagers do.In a report titled "How Teens Use Media," Nielsen found that the average teen (ages 12-17, for the purposes of the survey) spends about 11 hours, 32 minutes a month online, versus about 29 hours for the average American, or a whopping 42 hours, 35 minutes for adults aged 35-44.

Now, I'd imagine we could chalk up much of the difference to the fact that many working adults have a broadband-connected PC sitting on their desk, whereas teens are often busy going to school, hitting the mall, going to band practice, or tapping out texts. Lots of texts. (More on that in a second.)

But even as time spent online tapers off as the average American gets older, folks aged 65 and older are still surfing an average of 28 hours, 34 minutes each month, nearly triple the amount of time spent by teens, according to Nielsen.

Teens are also watching less online video than most adults, Nielsen claims, with kids aged 12-17 streaming a little more than three hours of online video a month. Compare that to about five-and-a-half hours a month for young adults between 18 and 24, or four hours, 44 minutes for grown-ups aged 25-34.

Then again, maybe part of the reason teens spend so little time online (well, on average, anyway) is that they're so mobile—and by mobile, I mean cell phones. The Nielsen survey found that 77 percent of teens have their own cell phone, and that they're sending and/or receiving an impressive 96 SMS messages a day, or nearly 2,900 a month—a figure that's nearly double the average from early 2008. Amazing.

Meanwhile, the average numbers of call that teens make or receive each month has actually dipped to 191, compared to 286 in mid-2007, Nielsen says.

A few other interesting teen statistics from the Nielsen report: They're watching an average of three hours, 20 minutes of TV a day, they get a 25-minute daily dose of console gaming, and (in a bit of good news for print publishers) one in four reads the newspaper.

So, teens: About how long do you spend online each day? Use your phone more than your PC? Ever have to remind your parents to shut down the browser and, like, go outside or something?

Nielsen Report: Teens More “Normal” Than You Think Regarding Media Usage

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

It’s 2009: Do you know where your kids are?

They might be on the Internet, or gaming or texting… but they could also be be watching live TV, listening to the radio or reading a newspaper. At the annual What Teens Want conference in New York, The Nielsen Company presented How Teens Use Media, which argues once you look past the hype - American teens are not as alien in their media usage as you might expect. Sure, it might sound hip and trendy to suggest they’re too busy texting, Twittering or LOL-ing to be engaged with traditional media, but ultimately, the research proves otherwise.

“The media experience is broadening for all consumers, not just teens,” said Nic Covey, director of insights for The Nielsen Company. “Looking at our research across markets and media, we see that, contrary to popular assumption, teens are actually pretty normal in their usage, and more attentive than most give them credit for.”

The comprehensive report combines insights from Nielsen’s global resources in Television, internet, mobile, gaming, moviegoing, radio, newspaper and advertising research to debunk myths and provide the hard facts around how teens use media.

Key Takeaways

• Teens are NOT abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6% over the past five years in the U.S.
• Teens love the Internet … but spend far less time browsing than adults: Teens spend 11 hours and 32 minutes per month online. Far below the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.
• Teens watch less online video than most adults, but the ads are highly engaging to them: Teens spend 35% less time watching online video than adults 25-34, but recall ads better when watching TV shows online than they do on television.
• Teens read newspapers, listen to the radio and even like advertising more than most: Teens who recall TV ads are 44% more likely to say they liked the ad.
• Teens play video games, but their tastes aren’t all for the blood-and-guts style games: Just two of their top five most-anticipated games since 2005 have been rated “Mature.”
• Teens’ favorite TV shows, top websites and genre preferences across media are mostly the same as their parents: For U.S. teens, American Idol was the top show in 2008, Google the top website and general dramas are a preferred TV genre for teens around the world.

For additional insights, download a free copy of How Teens Use Media

SOURCE: NIELSEN WIRE