December 2004 saw 2.2 million 12-17 year olds use the internet for entertainment, representing 78% of teenagers within this age bracket being online in the UK in this period, according to the latest research from internet research specialists, Nielsen//NetRatings.
The study found that music and online games sites attracted the largest number of young adults, with almost half of all 12-17 year olds visiting a music site in December 2004. The male to female user ratio is almost evenly matched at 52% to 48% respectively.
Online games sites, see boys having the edge, with 56% of all boys aged 12-17 visiting internet gaming websites in December 2004, compared to 42% of all girls.
Nielsen//NetRatings also found that MSN’s Hotmail service attracted 50% of the surveyed age group, a staggering 1.4 million individuals, 58% of those users are girls.
MSN’s online chat service, MSN Messenger is also top with this age group, attracting 12.8 million 12-17 year olds in December 2004.
Commenting on the findings, Gabrielle Prior, European analyst said: “When today’s young adults use the home PC they are not just using the computer to help with their studies and homework. They are also listening to music, downloading the latest music tracks, playing games, chatting to their friends and sending emails,”
She continued: “Today’s young adults are helping to drive developments in the entertainment environment from the internet to mobile phones, TV and DVD’s top video. They represent a very important audience to test new technologies and attract customers for life.”
Research published by Nielsen//NetRatings in November 2004, revealed that the majority of UK internet users are now using broadband connections at home, with the number of individuals actively surfing the internet at home each month, increasing by 15% to 22.8 million over the past year (see Over 50% Of UK Surfers Now Using Broadband).
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