by Andrew Redfern @ 5th December 2007 11:38 pm

The Nielsen Company today released the findings of an in-depth study on the mobile media and cross media behavior of U.S. “tweens” (ages 8-12).

The report estimates that:

* 35% of tweens own a mobile phone.
* 20% of tweens have used text messaging.
* 21% of tweens have used ring & answer tones.

While text-messaging and ringtones remain the most pervasive non-voice functions on the phone, other content such as downloaded wallpapers, music, games and Internet access also rank highly among tweens.

According to Nielsen, 5% of tweens access the Internet over their phone each month. While 41% of tween mobile Internet users say they do so while commuting or traveling (to school, for example), mobile content such as the Internet is also a social medium for this audience: 26% of tween mobile Internet users say they access the web while at a friend’s house and 17% say they do so at social events.

Young mobile users are also turning to their phones for in-home entertainment:

* 58% of tweens who download or watch TV on their phone do so at home;
* 64% of tweens who download or play music on their phone do so at home;
* 56% of tweens who access the Internet on their phone do so at home.

“Tweens use their mobile phones, and media in general, in very unique and important ways,” said Jeff Herrmann, VP of Mobile Media for Nielsen Mobile. “Marketers and media executives need to understand these ‘digital natives’ as they mature and reshape the way we all think about new and traditional media.”

Regarding cross media behavior of tweens, Nielsen reports that tweens spend less time surfing the Internet than their teen counterparts. In this report, 48% of U.S. tweens said they spend less than one hour per day online. When they are online, 70% of tweens use the Internet for gaming. Comparatively, 81% of U.S. teens say they spend one hour or more per day online, with e-mail being the most pervasive online activity for this age group.

“In addition to the differences between adult and youth media consumers, there’s an important gap between the media behaviors of teens and tweens,” said Herrmann. “This report, which includes insights from more
than 5,500 teens and tweens, dissects how these demographic segments are engaging with mobile and traditional media.”

The report, “Kids on the Go: Mobile Usage by U.S. Teens and Tweens,” was conducted by Nielsen Mobile and BASES, two services of Nielsen. It also provides insights on teen and tween use of specific content brands, genre preferences, overall use of leisure time and demographic profiles. The full report will be released on December 14.

Other Related Stories That May Be Of Interest:

1. New Research: How teenagers use their mobile phones
2. Mobile search: 58m mobile user have seen mobile advertising
3. Skype launches its mobile Internet phone - Skypephone
4. Mobile Phone Study - Text Messaging Still Most Important Feature
5. Nielsen launches product to manage Internet content distribution
6. Neilsen figures released showing impact of mobile advertising
7. Nielsen buys IAG Research
8. MySpace Throught Mobile Phone
9. Mobile phone advertising advances tentatively
10. Nielsen to Acquire IAG Research

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