Forrester: North American Kids Are Wired

Forrester Research finds North American youths are more plugged-in than ever, spending an average of 11 hours a week online with 83 percent using instant messaging.

A new survey from Forrester Research brands young North American consumers as the first “technology everywhere” generation, citing young people as a tech-savvy, game-playing population comfortable with high-tech communication, gaming, and online entertainment, but who also rely on their friends and family when making purchase decisions.

Forrester Research surveyed more than 5,000 Canadian and U.S. youth between 12 and 21 years of age and found that fully 83 percent (and 87 percent of 15 year-olds!) use instant messaging, and nearly three out of four have their own mobile phones. But those phones might not be enough: one in four said they plan to buy an MP3 player in the next 12 months.

Forrester also found young consumers average almost 11 hours per week online, and, of the youngest in the survey group (aged 12 to 17), almost 20 percent spend 20 or more hours online every week.

The survey also found 88 percent of boys aged 12 to 17 own their own video game console, compared to 63 percent of girls the same age, and 55 percent of boys surveyed said they’d rather play video games than watch television.

“Marketing executives have been staring in wonder at their own tech-savvy children and asking, ‘Are all teenagers as wired as my own kids?’” said Chris Charron, vice president and research director at Forrester. “The answer is ‘yes.’ We are seeing a generation of young people for whom technology is not just a nice-to-have