Kids and the Internet

I don't think I realized that kids on the Internet was becoming such a big deal. I can remember when we first got a computer I really had no interest in it until the say we got a game called "Rollar Coaster Tycoon" Has anyone ever played that? My sisters and I would race to the computer room to see who would be able to get on the computer first. About the time the newness of this incredible game started wearing off the days of AOL instant messenger began. I remember spending as much time as my parents would let me chatting online with my friends on AIM...

Tonight I was reading this article about kids and the Internet. It pointed out how the Internet is used much more for entertainment for kids than actually communicating which seems to change as we get older. According to the article, 71.1% of kids between the ages of 6-12 used the Internet within the last 30 days.  Most of these kids accessed the Internet from their home computer, followed by their school computers and then computers in bookstores and libraries. 

Most of these kids (81.2%)  said they used the Internet to play games. However this number did decrease with age as kids began using it for things like watching videos, homework and listening to music. 

Interestingly enough, the most popular sites for kids were television sites like Disneychannel.com, nick.com and cartoonnetwork.com. This shows how much kids are influenced by what they see on television. Most of these kids were driven by some sort of ad on television to go check out their favorite station's website. 

All of this really makes me more aware of the younger generation becoming even more technological than my generation. As PR people we need to be aware of this and how it effects our target audience. The younger generation is contributing to the evolvement of media as we know it today. More and more people are using the internet as their primary source of information, entertainment and communication.