The internet meets its young

Stats aside, the survey also shows how important the internet has become to young people. More than four out of ten (42%) said that using the internet had, for them, replaced TV viewing. This corresponds with a recent US survey by Roper Starch which suggests that 63% of children aged between 9 and 17 prefer the internet to TV, and around 55% rated it above the telephone for communicating with friends.

Communication also rates highly in NOP's report, with 12% saying it is what they like most about the internet, and 43% using it for keeping in touch with friends. This hasn't been lost on chat sites, with the likes of DoBeDo and Sony FriendFactory moving into the market and targeting their advertising to a younger audience. Most youth brand sites, too, now have chat areas as a means of engendering repeat traffic.

Will the lessons of broadcast be learnt online? Children are a notoriously difficult audience to cater for. This week's big thing can be last week's old hat. Trying to second guess this market can be hazardous, although the speed to market advantage of the internet could be its biggest plus in this arena.

The industry will also need to nurture its young audience, as that 51% can eventually prove to be a huge and loyal market. There are a number of entertainment based children sites developed by major fmcg brands, such as the Pepsi music portal and snack and soft drink brands games sites, suggesting that there is some movement to retain as well as entertain this market.

The report shows that while chatting and game playing is important to children, so is the ability to obtain information and educate themselves. After all, Dreamcast and other games consoles have moved toward networked game playing, providing a cheaper and more familiar alternative.

According to NOP, marketers must approach the internet as a 'global playground', offering children the opportunity to communicate and interact. Word of mouth and viral marketing will still have a huge impact here, especially with ecommerce. The report suggests that around 5% of children (180,000 7-16 year olds) have already made a purchase online, usually using their parents credit cards. This is backed up by a study from Media Metrix in the US which says that teenage visitors to ecommerce sites over the Christmas period are increasing year on year over that of adults.

One big drawback, however, is in converting these statistics into buyers. It's likely that some form of ewallet will be introduced to provide both transactional facilities and placate parental fears. In the US, services like ICanBuy.com provide digital wallets which can be customised - expect similar services to be trialled in the UK soon.

Of greater concern, however, will be in marketing products and brands to children. The NOP survey shows that there is a willing audience, with boys more likely to click on banners - 27% compared with 15% for girls. But advertising to children can be a thorny subject - the lack of obvious regulations can be a dream for some advertisers but it can also provide numerous hazards. Not only can parents be offended and tabloid papers alerted, but both the brand and the medium are at risk too.

Sweden is currently using its position as future head of the EU to call for a Europe-wide ban on TV advertising to the under 14s, in line with its own regulations. It's understood that Sweden's calls for tighter regulations has been spurred on by massive internet penetration, especially with the youth market. Whether these regulations are accepted or not, they are likely to throw the practices of online marketers under the spotlight.

If anything, it would greatly benefit the industry to have a taskforce or regulatory body set up internal ground rules and monitor advertising within the online youth market - once again, perhaps a job for the IAB. While more children have TVs and computers in their bedrooms, leading to unsupervised usage of both, the power ultimately resides with parents and its likely that the brands which promote protection and family-oriented content and services will win out.