Social networking down with the kids

A report from the government body Ofcom has found that social networking is growing in popularity among 25 to 54 year olds, while conversely declining among 15 to 24 year olds.

The study, entitled The Communications Market 2009, reported that the number of 15 to 24 year olds who maintained an online profile had fallen five points to 50 per cent, although no data for the under-15s could be given.

The report also found that the number of 25 to 34 year olds who claimed to have a profile with a social networking site grew by six per cent in the first quarter to 46 per cent, while the proportion of 35 to 54 year olds with a profile grew by eight points to reach 35 per cent.

The most popular site across all age groups remain Facebook, which grew by 73 per cent over the last year to reach nearly 20 million users, although YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter all saw significant growth as well.

The full report can be found here.