Teens: Big Consumers of Technology

According to a study released by the Harrison Group this week, Americans aged 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media, defined as the Internet, Cell Phones, Television, Music and Video Games. Because teens are known for multitasking, their usage of devices can overlap.

The study estimates that despite their age, teens have great purchasing power, thanks to money coming in from part-time jobs and parents. Teenagers spend about $195 billion annually on clothes, eating out, cars, movies and cell phones, according to the report.

They're also spending money on technology. For 2006, one-third of teens reported owning an Apple Computer iPod, up from only 1 percent in 2003, according to the study. More than half said they also own and play Sony's PlayStation 2, and one-third said they own an original Microsoft Xbox game console. But as many as three quarters reported playing video games on a regular basis.

As you might expect, music is high on the average teen's to-do list. Their love of music is second only to their love of friends and even ahead of their love of family, according to the study.

75 percent of teens spend two or three hours a day downloading or listening to music online. Roughly half of those kids say that downloading music for free is illegal. But 41 percent are unconcerned with the ramifications or ethics of illegal downloads.

An estimated 68 percent of teens have created profiles on social networks like MySpace.com, Xanga or Facebook. More than a quarter of the population keeps in touch with friends online on a daily basis, either through instant messaging, e-mail, message boards or chat rooms.

Source: CNET News