According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, teenagers in the United States have embraced the Internet more completely than adults. Among teens aged 12-17, almost nine in 10 teens (87 percent) use the Internet, compared to only 66 percent of adults.

About 76 percent of teens get news online and 81 percent play online games. This has increased from 2000, when only 38 percent of teens got their news online and only 52 percent played games online.

Online teens are heavy instant messengers, with 75 percent using IM everyday, compared to 42 percent of online adults. Nearly 25 percent of teens say that IM is the primary method of communication which was second to landlines which came in at 52 percent. Almost half of teens, 48 percent, instant message everyday, while 30 percent send IMs several times a day.*

If you still unclear about the world of instant messaging then try the English to IM Translator.

*Thanks to OMMA for this information.