Kids Choose the Internet Over Television

(MoneyWatch)  In the New York Times today, a new survey has been put out showing that among kids aged 10 to 14, the Internet has surpassed television in usage.

For children ages 10 to 14 who use the Internet, the computer is a bigger draw than the TV set, according to a study recently released by DoubleClick Performics, a search marketing company. The study found that 83 percent of Internet users in that age bracket spent an hour or more online a day, but only 68 percent devoted that much time to television.

Paired up with the data point that the average television viewer is now aged 50, and it's clear that the next generation is going to have much less patience with traditional broadcast television. The disruptions that the Internet has wrought in other mediums like print and radio will be felt in television eventually. A report from IDC this February found that the average person spends 32.7 hours/week on the Internet, versus 16.4 hours watching television. As services like Hulu gain their feet, that number will shift even further.

For advertisers, it means gearing up for ad campaigns that stop making TV buys the centerpiece of a campaign. It's something smaller shops have already learned, while the four major holding companies seem slower to adapt. Publicis has made some smart acquisitions in digital, while WPP has been stumbling, and indeed, lost another client as our pal The Founder reported over at Tribble Ad Agency.

Photo from Flickr user *ejk*, CC 2.0