Teens: 'e-mail is for older people'

According to a recent survey, U.S. teens deem e-mail to be something for older people, as they rather prefer to use instant messaging services.

While 90 percent of Internet users from 12 to 17 years old still uses e-mail, but they are much more fond of instant messaging. The youngsters believe e-mail is best for talking to parents or institutions.

Currently 75 percent of teen Internet users say to use instant messaging programs, compared with only 42 percent of the adults Internet users. Almost fifty percent of the teens uses IM programs on a daily base and some even spend more than two hours a day chatting through these programs.

While adults almost don't use IM to send links or photos to each other, nearly half of the teens does this, and roughly a third uses IM to send music or video clips to their friends.

Nearly nine out of 10 teenagers say they use the Internet, up from 74 percent in 2000. Those are who still not online are likely to be so poor that they have limited access to technology, the survey found, and are disproportionately black.

More details at Reuters