Almost three-quarters of young Europeans are online and 16 to 24 year olds are more likely to use newfangled methods of communication than older consumers, according to Forrester Research.
A study of internet usage in seven European countries found that 74% of young people are online compared to just 45% of more mature citizens. The highest penetration levels were recorded in Sweden while Germany, with 7.3 million, has the largest number of youthful web users.
Net usage is less prevalent among the younger generation in Southern Europe. However, even in laggard countries such as Spain, more than half of 16 to 24 year olds (59%) were found to go online.
Email is popular with internet users of all ages but people in the 16 to 24 age group are three times more likely than older web users to send SMS or instant messages via the net. They are also more inclined to download music and look up movie information. Because of their smaller spending budgets, young people are less likely to use the web to research products and holidays.
