Report: Mobile teens, tweens react differently

If you're targeting teens and tweens in the same way, you may be missing the boat. That according to a recent Nielsen Mobile study called "Kids on the Go: Mobile Usage by Teens and Tweens". The study found that teens and tweens, though close together in age, are not close when it comes to accessing the Net.

by Kristina Knight

The study found that about 41% of tween (aged 8-12) Mobile Internet users log on during their commute to school or back home. For most this access is all about being social. They log on to check messages, look at their social mobile profiles or catch up with friends. Meanwhile 26% say they log on from friends homes and 17% say they log on while attending social functions.

However, for all the time that tweens spend in the mobile space, very little of that time is spent surfing. Nearly half of online tweens said they were online less than one hour each day. More than 80% of their teenaged counterparts (aged 13-18) said they spent an least one hour each day surfing the 'Net via mobile devices. Most teens use the mobile space to check email.

There are similarities, however. The report found that both teens and tweens are interested in downloading ringtones and wallpapers for their phones. Most are also interested in online video and downloading music to their mobile devices.