Internet, Mobile Use Triples Among Young Demos

Listening

The average amount of time spent by 12- to-24-year-old Americans online has roughly tripled from 59 minutes per day in 2000 to two hours and 52 minutes per day in 2010, according to Edison Research's American Youth Study 2010, which follows up on a similar survey conducted 10 years ago. The two studies provide a snapshot of a society undergoing radical transformation by digital technology.

The proportion of young Americans who own a mobile device has surged from 29% in 2000 to 81% in 2010, according to the 2010 survey of 1,533 young adults, conducted by Edison in September.

Among mobile phone owners, it found that 50% have used the devices to play games, 45% to access social networks, and 40% to listen to music stored on the device.

The Edison findings also checked in with the cohort from the first study, now ages 22-34, and found a decline in traditional media consumption. Ten years ago, 44% of this group said they started their day with radio, but that number has dwindled to 29% today. Of course, this might reflect changing schedules and behaviors, as individuals move into adulthood. However, other surveys have turned up similar findings.

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For example, over the last five years, the number of kids and young adults who own an iPod or MP3 player has more than quadrupled, according to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The proportion of people between the ages of eight and 18 who own one of these devices jumped from 18% in 2004 to 76% in 2009, representing an increase of 322%.

Separately, the average number of radio sets in the homes of these Kaiser respondents decreased from 3.3 to 2.5, and the average number of CD players fell from 3.6 to 2.2 over the same period.

In June 2008, Coleman Insights found that daily radio listening by teenagers was on the downswing, losing share to the new media options. Specifically, Coleman found that 84% of the 14-17 cohort listen to music daily on an MP3 player, iPod or computer, versus 78% for radio.

A second Coleman study found that the 15-17 cohort favors iPods and MP3 players as primary destinations for listening to music -- with 41% choosing the personal devices, compared to just 22% for FM radio.

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