Under-18s flock to Twitter

Young internet users are signing up to the micro-blogging site Twitter in their droves, according to new research by ComScore.

The number of Twitter users from every age group continues to soar- up to 21 million US visitors in July alone – but the new data shows that there has been a notable jump in the number of under-18s signing-up.

ComScore attributes this “youth invasion” to celebrity tweeters such as Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher.

Andrew Lipsman, ComScore analyst, said: “I think that during the early adopter period back in 2008, Twitter was first gaining notoriety in business settings and via news outlets – particularly on CNN, which resulted in an older-skewing early adopter profile.

“But as Twitter began to filter more into the mainstream, along with it came a culture of celebrity as Shaq, Britney Spears and Ashton Kutcher joined the ranks of the Twitterati.”

ComScore’s research shows that the most notable shifts are evident among the 12 to 17 and 18 to 24-year-old groups, which are coming at the expense of the 35-year-old and overs.

“Twitter is most definitely popular among younger users and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” Lipsman added.  “They are fuelling its continued growth and pushing it ever closer to achieving critical mass. ”