Kids Doing More Online Shopping.

According to the longest running study of kids on the Internet, children are spending more time online than ever before, using the Internet for shopping and entertainment.

The six-year study of Internet usage by children shows 25 percent spend 10 or more hours online each week. That is up from an average of just 19 percent for the previous five years. A third said they spend less than five hours online each week, down from an average of 42 percent over the previous five years.

The survey is conducted jointly by SpectraCom Inc. and Circle 1 Network. The companies started surveying kids on their Internet usage and preferences in 1996 and have repeated the survey every year since.

Nearly 60 percent of the kids surveyed have asked parents to buy things they’ve seen online. That’s up from only 40 percent in 1998, and has increased steadily every year.

The survey also showed a significant interest in wireless and other devices. Mobile phones were desired by 60 percent, but just 22 percent have one. More than half of the kids said they wanted pocket PCs, but only five percent have one.

For more information at http://www.spectracom.com