Survey: Gaming Vital Part Of Youth Tech Use

A survey conducted by Forrester Research Inc. shows that more American and Canadian youth from 12 to 21 are using technology as an important part of their daily lives, and has particularly signaled out video games as an important part of this change. The survey polled 5000 respondents from the two countries, to gauge the level of technology use as it correspondents with the age of those surveyed. Among other forms of technology covered in the poll were games; the survey found that 85% of boys aged 12 to 17 owned a game system of some type, and 63% of girls in the same age bracket. 55% of boys surveyed said they would rather play games than watch television. Respondents also claimed to spend about 11 hours per week online, with about 20% of the 12-to-17 respondents claiming a figure of 20 or more hours per week. Other data collected in the survey was the heavy use of instant messaging, with 83% of those polled using IM services compared with 32% of online adults. Over 75% of the respondents owned a mobile phone. "Marketing executives have been staring in wonder at their own tech-savvy children and asking, 'Are all teenagers as wired as my own kids?'" said Forrester Research vice president Chris Charron. "The answer is 'yes.' We are seeing a generation of young people for whom technology is not just a nice-to-have — it's a critical part of their lives. There's been a lot of speculation about the breadth and depth of technology use among young people. This data begins to codify that discussion."