Social Media Becomes Top Pastime For Young Brits

Today’s 16-year-olds are tomorrow’s most active consumers, so us, marketing folk, had better listen to this one – according to a new survey, published in the Telegraph, UK youngsters prefer social media to TV.

TV is no longer the number one pastime for Brits in the 16-to-24 age group, as nearly two thirds of them would rather spend time on Facebook or Twitter, chatting with friends. This has become their favourite way to keep in touch, as 65% of those polled claim that they even prefer social networks to talking on the phone. In addition, for one in three a visit to networking sites takes more than three hours and they are not shy to use them wherever they are, even on hospital operating tables or in court. A more modest 6% spend eight hours on networking platforms every day, the survey found.

Moreover, older people have also admitted that social media are becoming increasingly important in their lives, as almost one in three UK adults aged 55 and over are now used to going online to social platforms before they turn on the TV.

The authors of the research comment that although the Brits’ infatuation with social media is not a novelty these days, the fact that it is now the favourite leisure activity is remarkable and shows how deeply the digital age influences people’s lives.