Commentary
Peer Pleasure: Teens Connect
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 24, 2005
According to comScore Media Metrix, more than 14 million Americans age 13 to 17 accessed the Internet in January 2005. The recent edition of The Score focuses on the Internet behavior of this highly sought after demographic segment.
A significant proportion of the average teen’s time online is spent connecting with peers whether it’s instant messaging, blogs or e-mail, says the report. Sites that facilitate or promote teen communication were among the highest ranked properties by composition of users age 13 to 17. And, as expected, educational sites which allow teens to use the Internet for help with schoolwork, are disproportionately popular among this segment. Teens make up 29 and 23 percent of these sites audiences, respectively.
Top Properties by Composition of Visitors Age 13-17 January 2005 Total U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users | |||
| Unique Visitors (000) Age 13-17 | % Composition Unique Visitors Age 13-17 | Composition Index |
Total Internet Population – Age 13-17 | 14,243 | 8.8 | 100 |
Deviantart.Com | 276 | 29.5 | 335 |
Purevolume.Com | 254 | 29.2 | 333 |
Freetranslation.Com | 387 | 28.8 | 328 |
Buddyprofile.Com | 623 | 26.5 | 302 |
Xanga.Com | 1,693 | 25.4 | 289 |
Funnyjunk.Com | 347 | 23.8 | 271 |
Quizyourfriends.Com | 412 | 23.7 | 269 |
Picturetrail.Com | 433 | 22.8 | 260 |
Sparknotes.Com | 473 | 22.7 | 258 |
Bolt | 574 | 22.5 | 257 |
Alloy | 585 | 22.4 | 255 |
Neopets.Com | 805 | 22.3 | 254 |
Limewire | 885 | 21.8 | 248 |
Lyrics.Com | 648 | 20.2 | 230 |
Livejournal.Com | 1112 | 20.1 | 229 |
Source: comScore Media Metrix, January 2005 | |||
Unsurprisingly, notes the report, the teen segment’s well-known penchant for consumption reflected in their Internet usage. Over 70 percent of teen Internet users visited at least one Retail category site in January 2005.
Specialty apparel retailers targeting teens are among the Retail sites with the highest composition of 13 to 17 year old users. Many of these sites offer promotional enticements such as contests and giveaways, as well as chat rooms and other communication tools, which encourage teen consumers to make the brand a part of their everyday life, not just a site for purchasing. Teens also tend to be heavy consumers of music content and merchandise.
Top Retail Properties by Composition of Visitors Age 13-17 January 2005 Total U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users | |||
| Unique Visitors (000) Age 13-17 | % Composition Unique Visitors Age 13-17 | Composition Index |
Total Internet Population – Age 13-17 | 14,243 | 8.8 | 100 |
Retail Category Visitors – Age 13-17 | 10,137 | 7.7 | 88 |
Hollisterco.Com | 192 | 29.6 | 338 |
Hottopic.Com | 235 | 26.9 | 307 |
Babyphat.Com | 114 | 24.7 | 281 |
Alloy | 585 | 22.4 | 255 |
Pacsun.Com | 149 | 21.9 | 250 |
Ae.Com | 313 | 17.5 | 199 |
Abercrombieandfitch.Com | 205 | 17.1 | 194 |
Cduniverse.Com | 128 | 14.7 | 168 |
Musiciansfriend.Com | 198 | 14.5 | 165 |
Foot Locker Sites | 313 | 13.8 | 157 |
Ebgames.Com | 150 | 13.6 | 155 |
Nflshop.Com | 114 | 13 | 148 |
Bartleby.Com | 153 | 12.4 | 141 |
Shoes.Com | 114 | 11.8 | 135 |
Roxio, Inc | 315 | 11.5 | 131 |
Source: comScore Media Metrix, January 2005 | |||
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Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.