87% of US teens are online, 50% of those online have broadband

87% of US teens aged 12-17 now use the internet, Pew Internet & American Life Project says. That amounts to about 21 mln youth who use the internet, up from roughly 17 mln when we surveyed this age cohort in late 2000. Not only has the wired share of the teenage population grown, but teens' use of the internet has intensified. Teenagers now use the internet more often and in a greater variety of ways than they did in 2000. There are now approximately 11 mln teens who go online daily, compared to about 7 mln in 2000.

66% of adults use the internet, up from 56% in 2000. 51% of teenage internet users say they go online on a daily basis, up from 42% in 2000. 50% of teens who use the internet lives in a home with a broadband connection. Wired teens are more frequent users of instant messaging. And they are now more likely to play games online, make purchases, get news, and seek health information. 81% of teen internet users play games online. That represents about 17 mln people and signifies growth of 52% in the number of online gamers since 2000.

76% get news online. That represents about 16 mln people and signifies growth of 38% in the number of teens getting news online since 2000. 43% have made purchases online. That represents about 9 mln people and signifies growth of 71% in teen online shoppers since 2000. 31% use the internet to get health information. That represents about 6 mln people and signifies growth of 47% in the number of teens using the internet this way since 2000. 13% of American teenagers (3 mln people) still do not use the internet. 47% of teens who say they do not go online have been online before but have since dropped off.