Top UK sites for kids and teenagers

The report shows that:

·         Entertainment sites have the greatest affinity with under 12s

·         Games sites are most popular amongst 12-17 year-olds

·         Student and Video sites are the most visited for 18-22 year-olds

TV Broadcasters driving strong online affinity with children under 12

Fashion community site Stardoll has the highest percentage (32%) of children under 12 years old amongst its audience – making it the site with the greatest affinity with that age group.

Entertainment sites - including Nick, Cartoon Network, the BBC’s CBBC and CBeebies and Disney International - dominate the sites with the greatest affinity with children under 12.

Websites with the greatest percentage of under 12 audience

Source: Nielsen Online, UK NetView. E.g. 32% of Stardoll’s UK audience (108,000 people) are under 12 years old

Alex Burmaster, Internet Analyst, Nielsen Online, comments: “The Internet is very much an entertainment resource for young children, mainly due to how well TV broadcasters such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the BBC and Disney have adapted and extended their traditional offering to the web.”

Online games sites have the strongest affinity with 12-17 year-olds

Mobile phone social networking site Frengo has the highest percentage (26%) of 12-17 year-olds amongst its audience – making it the site with the greatest affinity with that age group.

Online games sites - including RuneScape, FreeOnlineGames, AddictingGames and MiniClip - dominate the sites with the greatest affinity with 12-17 year-olds.

Websites with the greatest percentage of 12–17 year-old audience

Source: Nielsen Online, UK NetView. E.g. 26% of Frengo’s UK audience (117,000 people) are 12-17 years old

“As children hit their teenage years, general entertainment sites tend to make way for games-focused sites, which offer a massive range of easily accessible games and ensure that teenage gaming activity extends far beyond the PS3, Wii and Xbox consoles.”

Sites with greatest concentration of young adults dominated by student and video sites

The three sites with the highest concentration of 18-22 year-olds (40%) are all student-related – the Student Loans Company, UCAS and Student Finance Direct

Sites offering video-related content – such as Sidereel, TV Links, Alluc and Youku – also feature heavily amongst sites with the greatest affinity with young adults

Websites with the greatest percentage of 18-22 year-old audience

Source: Nielsen Online, UK NetView. E.g. 40% of Student Loans Company’s UK audience (45,000 people) are 18-22 years old

“It’s interesting to see that the sites with the heaviest concentration of young adults split into two conflicting groups – functional and entertainment. This mirrors the uneasy transition of growing up from teenage years into adulthood and the associated increase in responsibility. Whilst entertainment, mainly through video sites, still has a place, this has been usurped by the need to investigate higher education and financing oneself through it,” Burmaster added.

Source: Nielsen Online