• by Wayne Friedman , January 8, 2007

Note to advertisers: when it comes to TV programs and media in general, boys will be boys--and men will be boys.

In a new report from Horizon Media, research shows that as boys grow into men and age into their 20s and 30s, they return--or stay--with much of the same TV viewing they enjoyed as kids.

"They watch "The Simpsons," Adult Swim, and read Harry Potter," says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director for Horizon Media. "They play video games and read comic books."

"It's the boomerang effect," says Adgate. "Men in their 30s are moving back to their parents' homes, back to their own bedrooms." Marketers, Adgate says, have names for this trend, such as the "boomerang kids," "kidults" and "Peterpandemonium."

For example, the median age for a video-game player was 29 a few years ago. It used to be below 20. Now the median age is 33.

Or look at supposedly younger-skewing programming. An amazing 26% of Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" viewers are 18 years of age and older.

Conversely, boys are growing up faster than previous generations, as well as being exposed to more mature media content. Boys ages 6-11 watch "American Idol," "Survivor," NFL Football and WWE Wrestling.

Men in their 20s and 30s, Adgate writes in his report, are increasingly returning to playing children's games: dodgeball, paintball, Frisbee and using "Super Soaker" water guns. "Even the media age for Hasbro action figures has gotten older," says Adgate.

He adds that in 1960, 65% of males had graduated college by the time they hit 30. By the year 2000, that number had dropped to 31%.

Adgate says boys/men ages 6 to 34 have always been a tough demographic group to track down for marketers and media. With the advent of the Internet, it has become harder for TV media to corral men, resulting in a higher cost for marketers.