Tablet visits to youth websites jump 320%

Almost one third of visits to youth-focused websites in the first half of 2013 came from tablets and mobiles, according to new research from w00t! Media.

Measuring over two billion visits to youth/young adult entertainment and lifestyles websites between January and June, the research found that tablets accounted for 12% of all visits – a 320% increase on 2012.

w00t! Media predicts that the share of visits from tablets to these websites will hit 15% by the end of the year, with the iPad accounting for 91% of tablet views, followed by Samsung’s Galaxy Tab (2.9%), Amazon’s Kindle (2.8%) and Google’s Nexus (1.8%).

Smartphones accounted for almost one fifth of visits to entertainment and lifestyle websites during the same time period after a 137% increase in the number of visits on 2012. The report expects the number of smartphone visits to rise a further 60% during the second half of this year.

Of smartphone visits, Apple accounted for 70% – down six percentage points on 2012, while Android was up six percentage points to 25%.

“Both publishers and advertisers need to stay relevant to their audiences but this is crucial to those targeting Generation Y,” said Dan McDevitt, joint managing director of w00t! Media.

Referencing a recent IAB study into the UK’s 100 biggest advertisers, McDevitt said that it was important that brands use responsive design – sites that automatically display content in the most appropriate way for whichever device a consumer is using – particularly among Generation Y consumers.

“When targeting youth audiences around entertainment and lifestyle content, adoption levels simply can’t be that low, or all parties run the risk of becoming quickly out of date.”