Whether it's browsing the internet on their smartphones to see what events are happening near them or using their laptops to shop, teenagers are spending more time surfing the World Wide Web than ever before. In fact, a study conducted by marketing companies ResearchNow and K&A Brand Research revealed that adolescents from four countries enjoy unlimited and unsupervised access to the Web. The participants included almost 2,500 12- to 17-year-olds from the United States, Poland, United Kingdom and Germany.
How much time is spent online
Analysts discovered that 62 percent of teens go online every day, and of that number, 46 percent said they log onto the internet multiple times a day. The older individuals in the study have a tendency to spend more time on the Web. In fact, 21 percent of those that explore cyberspace daily are 17 years old, while 11 percent are 12 years old. Interestingly enough, youngsters in the United Kingdom and Poland spend more time on the net than those in the United States and Germany.
Reasons they go online
The study reported than 92 percent of adolescents surf the Web with the intention of "looking up things" they don't know. The second most popular reason, with 83 percent of participants confirming, was to learn about events, although there was no specification whether this referred to local or worldwide happenings. Almost 75 percent said they go online to ''window shop,'' and lastly, 73 percent said they use the internet to play games.
Devices used to go online
Sixty-six percent of respondents from all countries use their tablet, smart phone or other device to go online, while 33 percent favor their laptops or desktops for surfing the web.
What does this mean for you?
If you own a company, consider contacting a local online marketing firm that can create mobile ads for you. These agencies are able to organize pay-per-click banners that can be viewed on everything from a a smartphone to tablet, so you can capitalize on emerging markets like this one.