Online Teens

Last weekend I noticed my oldest son online quite a bit. Throughout the day, I observed him at the computer (which we keep in the living room, for safety reasons) numerous times. "Whatch doing?" "Killing time." "Oh, yeah, I've done that, too."

A new study from Forrester Research shows teens are using the web a lot (not a newsflash, eh?), and offers insights into their online habits.

Older teens had spending power of about $193 per month.

They spend an average of more than 15 hours online each week and have been using the Internet for an average of nearly seven years, according to the study.

The majority of online teens also have access to broadband—86% of younger teens and 90% of older teens, Forrester said. Studies have shown that consumers who use broadband spend more online.

The items teens purchased most often online included computer hardware, software, music, DVDs and books.

Full story here.

Question for parents: What is your teen doing on the Internet? What is he or she looking at? Buying? Might be a good dinner-time question for discussion.