America Online 'Youth Wired' Survey Finds Kids Are Online an Average of Four Days a Week; Nearly 20% Go Online Every Day.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 29, 2003

As Internet Becomes More Central to Kids' Lives, AOL Launches New KOL(TM) Service, Designed Specifically for Kids' Needs and Interests Online

Tampa/St. Petersburg, Philadelphia and New York City Rated Among the Country's Top "Youth Wired" Cities

Whether they're surfing cyberspace or getting homework help, playing games or listening to Internet radio, today's "wired youth" are going online more often, spending an average of four days a week on the Internet. According to a recent America Online/Digital Marketing Services, Inc. online survey conducted in Opinion Place among more than 2,000 kids aged 7 - 12 years and parents of kids aged 7 - 12 years, nearly half of kids (46%) go online at least four times a week and nearly 20% go online every day.

The latest industry research shows that kids are increasingly coming online in larger numbers and, according to Jupiter Research, it is expected that 57% of kids aged 11 and under will be online by 2007.(1) Additionally, parents are recognizing the value of the Internet for their child as a resource for entertainment, education and enrichment, with 92% of mothers believing that the Web is a great tool for their children and 53% saying that the Web has brought their family closer together.(2)

The AOL/DMS survey results come as AOL plans to launch its new KOL(TM) service, the first version of AOL designed entirely for kids that addresses their growing needs and interests online. Combining exclusive content from industry-leading kids brands and all-new original programming, this new service offers kids a fun and entertaining online experience that is fully integrated with AOL's award-winning Parental Controls.

"Today's kids are becoming increasingly sophisticated about the online medium," said Malcolm Bird, AOL Senior Vice President and General Manager of Kids and Teens. "It's not surprising that we are seeing kids adopt the Internet most strongly as a vehicle for fun and games. These survey findings indicate that kids are incorporating the Internet into the parts of their lives that are most important to them - playtime and school. Regardless of whether kids are coming online for play, for schoolwork or to keep in touch with friends, KOL is committed to providing them with an enjoyable online experience that includes kid-friendly content, fun programming, leading online educational resources and above all, an exclusive 'place' for hanging out with friends."

Bird added: "Just as important, with AOL's award-winning Parental Controls, parents can find comfort in knowing that they can play a key role in determining what their kids' online experience will be like. Through our specially designed Parental Control tools, parents can manage and review where their kids go online, who they communicate with, and how much time they spend online. Every day, the KOL team works to provide parents with greater peace of mind."

The AOL/DMS survey found that the Internet is becoming a central part of kids' daily lives, especially in the areas of communication, entertainment and education.

Communication and Self-Expression:

-- Email is how today's wired kids like to stay in touch with

family and friends. Fifty-three percent of kids spend their

time sending emails, with their #1 topic of conversation being

about what they did that day (29%). Twenty-eight percent like

to talk about their friends and classmates;

-- Instant messaging (IMing) is a popular way to keep in touch,

as 33% of kids who use instant messaging exchange IMs with

three or more people at the same time;

-- Forty-four percent of those who use instant messaging have

seven or more friends on their Buddy List(R) (79%) have

between one and 20 people on their Buddy List;

-- Increasingly, self-expression and creating their own online

personality is important to kids. Twenty percent of kids use

the AOL(R) service to get buddy icons and 15% are going online

to obtain screensavers.

Frequent Online Activities:

-- Homework and conducting research online for school ranks high

on the list of online activities, with 60% responding that

they use the Internet for this purpose at least once a month;

-- Kids can't seem to get enough of games, as 87% of them are

likely to play games online. And, when asked what they would

miss most if they had to give it up forever, 20% said online

games. The #1 thing (26%) kids would miss most is their

favorite food;

-- The online medium is providing much of kids' entertainment,

with 36% watching videos, movies or cartoons online;

-- Kids have an easy connection to top tunes. Sixty-three percent

listen to music online;

-- Twenty-seven percent of kids like to get the skinny on

celebrities and music groups online;

-- Finding the scoop on movies and TV shows is favored by 27% of

the kids.

Online Safety and the Internet at Home:

-- Eighty-eight percent of kids and parents talk about online

safety;

-- More than 60% say that Mom is the best at using the computer

in the household and only 2% say that a sibling is the best in

the house.

Online safety is clearly important to both parents and kids, based on the survey findings. Committed to providing an important safety net, AOL offers award-winning Parental Controls to help parents monitor and regulate what their children see and do online. AOL's Parental Controls allow parents to specify whom their children can communicate with in email, whether or not they can send and receive instant messages and what types of Web sites they can browse. The new AOL(R) Guardian feature provides parents with regular updates on their kids' online activities and the AOL(R) Online Timer also lets parents determine the number of hours they can be online.

Survey Reveals Top "Youth Wired" Cities

In addition to revealing national results for kids' favorite online activities, AOL also surveyed kids and their parents in the largest 15 cities to determine regional patterns in online use among kids. The study ranked the 15 "youth wired" cities based on which cities have the highest percentage of kids online between five and seven days a week. The cities are (with a tie between Boston and San Francisco):

1. Tampa/St. Petersburg - 47%.

2. Philadelphia - 45.5%.

3. New York - 44.6%

4. Washington DC - 41%

5. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale - 39%

6. Chicago - 38.6%

7. San Francisco 37%

7. Boston - 37%

9. Detroit - 36%

10. Houston - 34%

11. Dallas/Ft. Worth - 33%

12. Los Angeles - 30.1%

13. Atlanta - 30%

14. Minneapolis/St. Paul - 29.4%

15. Seattle/Tacoma - 26%

Note to Editors: Additional city-specific statistics about kids' online activities and interests are also available.

About America Online, Inc.

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

About Digital Marketing Services, Inc.

Digital Marketing Services, Inc., (DMS) headquartered in Lewisville, Texas, is a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online Inc., specializing in online market research via Opinion Place (www.opinionplace.com). DMS is the leading provider of scientific, online survey research and the exclusive online survey research service on AOL Time Warner and its properties. In accordance with AOL's Privacy Policy, DMS does not share any personally identifiable information about AOL members or their accounts with DMS research partners or third parties.

(1) Source: Jupiter Research, 2007

(2) Source: Cyber Dialogue, 2001