MySpace A Hit With Teens

During 2006, MySpace continued to hog the limelight in the online social networking scene, and it looks set to continue to maintain its appeal during 2007.

by Helen Leggatt

According to recent survey results released by TRU, Teenage Research Unlimited, MySpace is a hit with teens. Over one-third (34 percent) of 12 to 19 year olds surveyed listed MySpace as one of their two most visited websites. Yahoo came in second with 19 percent of votes and Google claimed third-place with 14 percent. By contrast, in TRU’s 2005 survey MySpace was third with just 9 percent, and by mid-2006 this had already leaped to 24 percent.

“The internet offers virtually unlimited content,” said TRU Trend Director Rob Callender. “So the fact that more than one-third of teens were able to agree on a single web destination—without the benefit of a list of choices—speaks volumes about the impression MySpace has made on teen life.”

Key observations gleaned from TRU’s survey include:-

- Girls visit the site more often than boys
- Significantly more Hispanic teens claim MySpace is one of their most-visited sites, compared to the other ethnic groups
- 40 percent of teens say they have a MySpace profile, compared to 10 percent for Xanga and nine percent for Facebook
- 58 percent had checked out profiles on social-networking sites

TRU’s survey is based upon responses from more than 2,000 teens across the U.S. The sample is representative of the overall U.S. teen population in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, and region of residence.