Parents should be careful the next time they complain about their kids spending too much time online. A new study from Ipsos Reid reveals adults actually spend more time online each week than teens.
On average, 12 to 17 year olds only spend 13 hours per week on the Internet, compared to a weekly average of 19 hours for adults, reveals Interactive Teens: The Impact of the Internet on Canada’s Next Generation.
Parental controls factor into kids limited time online, with 54% of those surveyed saying their parents place limits on Internet use, however just 37% believe the Internet is an important part of their day.
What’s more, only 28% of online teens consider themselves to be very skilled or expert, 24% said they aren’t skilled users, while the remaining teens classified themselves as fairly skilled.
“What is surprising about our research is the extent to which it challenges conventional assumptions adults make about the technological sophistication of teenagers,” said Steve Mossop, president of Market Research for Ipsos Reid in Western Canada, in a release. “The reality is they spend far less time online than adults with a very limited number of activities like socializing, gaming and music.”
Teens may not be surfing savvy but they do know how to socialize, with 80% of those surveyed saying they participated in an online social activity, 59% visiting online social networks or communities daily, and 60% of teens saying the Internet is important to their social life.
Teens are avid users of instant messaging, chatting online every day. Three-quarters of teens have used applications like Windows Live Messenger to communicate with friends and family.
Teens are also busy downloading music. Almost 64% have downloaded digital music and nearly 30% do it a few times a week to daily.
Over half of teens visit gaming websites a few times a week or more to play against people they know, or strangers.
