Internet Gets Lion's Share of Kids' Attention and Increasingly Influences What They Watch on TV

Internet Gets Lion's Share of Kids' Attention and Increasingly Influences What They Watch on TV

With kids multitasking on TV, online and on digital devices, companies need to rethink their marketing strategies, according to a new social networking study from Grunwald Associates

BETHESDA, Md., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- TV, once the dominant kids media, no longer gets their undivided attention, according to a study on social networking by Grunwald Associates LLC, an independent research firm that specializes in new media market intelligence. Sixty-four percent of kids go online while watching television, and nearly half of U.S. teens (49 percent) report that they do so frequently -- anywhere from three times a week to several times a day. Multitasking on the Internet, on cell phones and MP3 players, and on other new media suggests that companies must respond with much more creative, multimedia marketing campaigns for their messages to penetrate.

The study reveals that 73 percent of TV-online multitasking kids are engaged in "active multitasking," defined by Grunwald Associates as content in one medium influencing concurrent behavior in another. This trend represents a 33 percent increase in active multitasking since 2002. While kids are using more media, their attention primarily and overwhelmingly is focused on their online activities.

   According to the study:    -- 50 percent of nine- to 17-year-olds visit Web sites they see on TV even      as they continue to watch;   -- 45 percent of teens have sent instant messages or e-mail to others they      knew were watching the same TV show; and   -- One-third (33 percent) of nine- to 17-year-olds say they have      participated in online polls, entered contests, played online games or      other online activities that television programs have directed them to      while they are watching.   

At the same time, it is clear that online activities are the primary focus of TV-online multitaskers -- and an increasing determinant of what they choose to watch:

   -- 47 percent of kids say they focus their attention primarily online\      while multitasking between TV and the Internet;   -- 42 percent of kids say they focus on TV and online activities equally;   -- Only 11 percent of kids say that TV holds their primary attention while      multitasking; and   -- Nearly one in five (17 percent) say they have chosen what to watch on      TV based on what they are doing online, up from 10 percent in 2002.    

"Active multitasking and social networking present a tremendous opportunity to inform, engage and empower kids more deeply than ever before," said Peter Grunwald, founder and president of Grunwald Associates and a leading authority on kids' media use. "At the same time, it's important for commercial efforts to be credible and respect kids' intelligence -- and the content they produce. Kids are using social networking tools to create personal content and share their opinions with great speed, passion and influence."

Kids and Social Media

The study also examines how kids are using online and handheld social networking tools -- and how frequently. The study presents the data in numerous psychographic and demographic sets, including data gathered from parents and school district administrators.

The study illustrates that kids are more than passive consumers of media. Twenty-seven percent of all nine- to 17-year-old kids are practiced online producers-maintaining blogs, pages or other online spaces of their own and uploading content such as articles, audio, video, polls, quizzes and site ideas that they have created to publicly available Web sites, at least three times a week.

In addition, more than one in four of all students surveyed (27 percent) are heavy users of social networking sites and services. These heavy users are not just shaping Internet content but also influencing the online activities of their peers. Of these heavy users:

   -- More than six in ten (66 percent) recruit their peers to visit their      favorite sites,   -- Almost half (48 percent) promote new sites and features online to their      peers, and   -- Nearly four in ten (37 percent) recommend products to their peers and      keep up with the latest brands.    

"The findings of this study strongly suggest that companies should use multiple platforms-TV, online, social networking, handhelds and other interactive media to create a synergistic communications effort and a compelling, highly interactive experience for kids," concludes Grunwald.

About the Study

The Kids' Social Networking Study is comprised of three parallel surveys conducted in the United States: an online survey of 1,277 nine- to 17-year- olds, an online survey of 1,039 parents and telephone interviews with 250 school district leaders who make decisions on Internet policy.

Visit Grunwald Associates at http://www.grunwald.com/ for information on how to license the detailed market research report based on this study and for information on Grunwald's customized data analysis, industry-specific analysis and consulting services.

About Grunwald Associates LLC

Grunwald Associates is an independent research and consulting firm that has been providing new media market intelligence since 1993. Grunwald Associates is well known and highly respected for industry surveys, including Children, Families and the Internet and the current Kids' Social Networking Study, which have established benchmarks for media habits and attitudes in American households.

    Media contact:    Eileen Pacheco    781-556-1026    301-263-9192    pr@grunwald.com  

Source: Grunwald Associates

CONTACT: Eileen Pacheco of Grunwald Associates, +1-781-556-1026, +1-301-
263-9192, pr@grunwald.com

Web site: http://www.grunwald.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment