The study, based on a May survey of approximately 1,800 teens, found that 61 percent of teens have gone to an online social networking site, with females more likely to have done so (68 percent) than males (54 percent). Sixty-one percent of those who visited a social networking site went on to become a member.

Despite the apparently disproportionate number of teen girls visiting networking sites, teen boys remain heavier online users overall; 40 percent of male teens said they spend at least three hours a day on the Web outside of school, compared to 35 percent of female teens.

Eighteen percent of teens overall said they spend between two and three hours online outside school, while 25 percent devote one to two hours to the Web, and 20 percent spend less than one hour per day online.

Teens also gave the Web high marks for providing information about entertainment. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said the Internet was the best source for information about music acts; teens' impression of TV, radio and word-of-mouth was not as favorable, with about 17 percent citing each of those media as the best source for information about bands. In addition, 26 percent of respondents said Web sites were the best places to learn about TV shows they like or new movies, compared to television (29 percent), word of mouth (16 percent), local newspapers (10 percent), magazines (6 percent), and radio (3 percent).

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