Teens and Technology - Pew Internet & American Life Project

Part 6. Information-Seeking and Leisure Activities
music groups or sports stars they are interested in. This figure remains essentially the
same as it was in 2000, when 83% of teens reported visiting entertainment websites.
Online girls are slightly more likely than online boys to visit entertainment websites
(88% vs. 81%). Specifically, girls between the ages of 15 and 17 lead the pack: 90% say
they go to these sites, compared to 82% of boys in this age range.
Teens are more than twice as likely as adults to play online games.
Online games, which may be used for both entertainment and educational purposes, play
a role in most teens’ lives. While just one-third of adult internet users play online games,
more than twice as many online teens (81%) report this. That translates into more than
two-thirds of the total teen population (aged 12-17) who play games on the internet.
Broadband Teens vs. Dial-ups
Teens with high-speed connections to the internet at home are more likely to do some activities
online:
Teens with broadband 1 Teens with dial-up 2
Send or receive instant messages 83% 72%
Get news or info about current events 82% 72%
Buy things, such as books, clothing, or music 52% 39%
Send or receive text messages with a cell
phone
43% 32%
But for some activities, the differences between broadband and dial-up users are negligible or
nonexistent:
Send or read email 89% 89%
Go to websites about movies, TV shows,
music groups, or sports stars
86% 82%
Play online games 80% 80%
Get info about a school you might attend 60% 53%
Look for news or info about politics and the
presidential campaign
58% 55%
Look for info about a job 26% 31%
Look for health, dieting or fitness info 31% 29%
Look for religious or spiritual info 24% 28%
Look for info on a health topic that’s hard to
talk about
23% 19%
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Teens and Parents Survey, Oct.-Nov. 2004. Margin of error is ±5% for
teens with broadband and ±6% for teens with dial-up.
1
Teens whose parents report high-speed internet connections at home, n=425.
2
Teens whose parents report dial-up internet connections at home, n=374.
Teens and Technology - 39 - Pew Internet & American Life Project