Tweens and Teens: More Than Just Mallrats

Kids between the ages of 8-14 are becoming more Internet savvy by the day. They’re not just playing outside and hanging out with friends; they’re organizing the whole operation online beforehand.

According to emarketer.com, over 67% of kids between 8-11 use the Internet and over 74% of 12-14 year olds are regular Internet users. Although it’s easy to group tweens and teens together, there is definitely a difference. Just ask any freshman in high school what they think about their eight year old little brother. They most likely don’t have the same Internet habits.

Teens tend to log on for socializing whereas tweens use the web for game playing. Young teens and tweens today will grow up in a world where if they missed half of an episode of their favorite show, they can check it out online the next day. They won’t need to have mom drive them to Best Buy to hear Justin "Bring Sexy Back", they can just log onto iTunes and have it within minutes.

Teens and tweens also have a huge influence on their family’s purchases. According to international market researcher Euromonitor, "Research suggests that [tweens] will increasingly become powerful and influential consumers. This will result from greater levels of independence, a general rise in disposable income and increased pampering from parents."

A note to those of us in the marketing field teens and tweens are a force to be reckoned with, have high expectations, and ps - they are forming brand preferences right now.