Whether they’re surfing cyberspace or getting homework help, playing games or
listening to Internet radio, today’s “wired youth” are going online
more often, spending an average of four days a week on the Internet. According
to a recent America Online/Digital Marketing Services, Inc. online survey conducted
in Opinion Place among more than 2,000 kids aged 7 – 12 years and parents of kids
aged 7 – 12 years, nearly half of kids (46%) go online at least four times a week
and nearly 20% go online every day.

The latest industry research shows that kids are increasingly coming online
in larger numbers and, according to Jupiter Research, it is expected that 57%
of kids aged 11 and under will be online by 2007.(1) Additionally, parents are
recognizing the value of the Internet for their child as a resource for entertainment,
education and enrichment, with 92% of mothers believing that the Web is a great
tool for their children and 53% saying that the Web has brought their family
closer together.(2) . . .

The AOL/DMS survey results come as AOL plans to launch its new KOL(TM) service,
the first version of AOL designed entirely for kids that addresses their growing
needs and interests online. Combining exclusive content from industry-leading
kids brands and all-new original programming, this new service offers kids a
fun and entertaining online experience that is fully integrated with AOL’s award-winning
Parental Controls.

“Today’s kids are becoming increasingly sophisticated about the online
medium,” said Malcolm Bird, AOL Senior Vice President and General Manager
of Kids and Teens. “It’s not surprising that we are seeing kids adopt the
Internet most strongly as a vehicle for fun and games. These survey findings
indicate that kids are incorporating the Internet into the parts of their lives
that are most important to them – playtime and school. Regardless of whether
kids are coming online for play, for schoolwork or to keep in touch with friends,
KOL is committed to providing them with an enjoyable online experience that
includes kid-friendly content, fun programming, leading online educational resources
and above all, an exclusive ‘place’ for hanging out with friends.”

Bird added: “Just as important, with AOL’s award-winning Parental Controls,
parents can find comfort in knowing that they can play a key role in determining
what their kids’ online experience will be like. Through our specially designed
Parental Control tools, parents can manage and review where their kids go online,
who they communicate with, and how much time they spend online. Every day, the
KOL team works to provide parents with greater peace of mind.”

The AOL/DMS survey found that the Internet is becoming a central part of kids’
daily lives, especially in the areas of communication, entertainment and education.

Communication and Self-Expression:

  • Email is how today’s wired kids like to stay in touch with family and friends.
    Fifty-three percent of kids spend their time sending emails, with their #1
    topic of conversation being about what they did that day (29%). Twenty-eight
    percent like to talk about their friends and classmates;
  • Instant messaging (IMing) is a popular way to keep in touch, as 33% of
    kids who use instant messaging exchange IMs with three or more people at the
    same time;
  • Forty-four percent of those who use instant messaging have seven or more
    friends on their Buddy List(R) (79%) have between one and 20 people on their
    Buddy List;
  • Increasingly, self-expression and creating their own online personality
    is important to kids. Twenty percent of kids use the AOL(R) service to get
    buddy icons and 15% are going online to obtain screensavers.

Frequent Online Activities:

  • Homework and conducting research online for school ranks high on the list
    of online activities, with 60% responding that they use the Internet for this
    purpose at least once a month;
  • Kids can’t seem to get enough of games, as 87% of them are likely to play
    games online. And, when asked what they would miss most if they had to give
    it up forever, 20% said online games. The #1 thing (26%) kids would miss most
    is their favorite food;
  • The online medium is providing much of kids’ entertainment, with 36% watching
    videos, movies or cartoons online;
  • Kids have an easy connection to top tunes. Sixty-three percent listen to
    music online;
  • Twenty-seven percent of kids like to get the skinny on celebrities and
    music groups online;
  • Finding the scoop on movies and TV shows is favored by 27% of the kids.

Online Safety and the Internet at Home:

  • Eighty-eight percent of kids and parents talk about online safety;
  • More than 60% say that Mom is the best at using the computer in the household
    and only 2% say that a sibling is the best in the house.

Online safety is clearly important to both parents and kids, based on the survey
findings. Committed to providing an important safety net, AOL offers award-winning
Parental Controls to help parents monitor and regulate what their children see
and do online. AOL’s Parental Controls allow parents to specify whom their children
can communicate with in email, whether or not they can send and receive instant
messages and what types of Web sites they can browse. The new AOL(R) Guardian
feature provides parents with regular updates on their kids’ online activities
and the AOL(R) Online Timer also lets parents determine the number of hours
they can be online.

Survey Reveals Top “Youth Wired” Cities

In addition to revealing national results for kids’ favorite online activities,
AOL also surveyed kids and their parents in the largest 15 cities to determine
regional patterns in online use among kids. The study ranked the 15 “youth
wired” cities based on which cities have the highest percentage of kids
online between five and seven days a week. The cities are (with a tie between
Boston and San Francisco):

  • Tampa/St. Petersburg – 47%.
  • Philadelphia – 45.5%.
  • New York – 44.6%
  • Washington DC – 41%
  • Miami/Ft. Lauderdale – 39%
  • Chicago – 38.6%
  • San Francisco 37%
  • Boston – 37%
  • Detroit – 36%
  • Houston – 34%
  • Dallas/Ft. Worth – 33%
  • Los Angeles – 30.1%
  • Atlanta – 30%
  • Minneapolis/St. Paul – 29.4%
  • Seattle/Tacoma – 26%

About America Online, Inc.

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. Based
in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world’s leader in interactive services,
Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

About Digital Marketing Services, Inc.

Digital Marketing Services, Inc., (DMS) headquartered in Lewisville, Texas,
is a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online Inc., specializing in online
market research via Opinion Place (www.opinionplace.com).
DMS is the leading provider of scientific, online survey research and the exclusive
online survey research service on AOL Time Warner and its properties. In accordance
with AOL’s Privacy Policy, DMS does not share any personally identifiable information
about AOL members or their accounts with DMS research partners or third parties.

(1) Source: Jupiter Research, 2007

(2) Source: Cyber Dialogue, 2001


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