Researchers at the Pew Internet and American Life Project recently made a presentation to the Congressional House Telecommunications Committee about teens and the internet.
Some highlights:
- "Teens from poorest families lag in Internet use." In households where the family income is less than $30,000, only 73% of teens are Internet users, while 89% of teens in households with family incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 use the Internet.
- "Teens log on most often from home, but library use grows more than any other location." 54% of teens have gone online from a library. That's up from 36% in 2000.
- "Email is still a fixture in teens' lives, but instant messaging is preferred." 89% of online teens report ever using email, but qualitative research shows that the popularity of email "is wanning in favor of instant messaging."
See the full 8-page report .