As a teen, how many times did you want to tell your parents to just act normal? Too many to count. The question of normalcy is always a fun one. Is it simply following crowd mentality is some way, shape or form? Or is it normal to seek individuality, and thus a take your rightful place as a social oximoron (everyone is special, right?).

Nielsen recently tackled the question of normalcy among teenage media consumption. They found that Teens do consume traditional forms of media (TV & newspapers) and have internet habits much more in alignment to their parents than you might think—i.e. "normal." Nic Covey, Director of Insights for Nielsen claims that, “The media experience is broadening for all consumers, not just teens. Looking at our research across markets and media, we see that, contrary to popular assumption, teens are actually pretty normal in their usage, and more attentive than most give them credit for.”

Well thanks Nic, but what exactly is normal about these findings? As it turns out, Teens use the internet (according to Nic & Nielsen) less than HALF as much as adults and also consume LESS online video than adults. Nielsen's findings are hard to believe, but if they are true, the findings are hardly what you would expect—i.e. normal. Aren't these kids the first digital native generation? (e.g. They've never experienced a world without the internet or computers.) Aren't they supposed to be writing all sorts of crazy smart applications that allow us to use iPhones on Verizon instead of AT&T? Common kids, stop reading your parents newspapers and figure out how to drop the old maid...

Findings from Nielsen's                                            "How Teen's Use Media" Report

> Teens are NOT abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6% over the past five years in the U.S.

> Teens love the Internet … but spend far less time browsing than adults: Teens spend 11 hours and 32 minutes per month online. Far below the average of 29 hours and 15 minutes.

> Teens watch less online video than most adults, but the ads are highly engaging to them: Teens spend 35% less time watching online video than adults 25-34, but recall ads better when watching TV shows online than they do on television.

> Teens read newspapers, listen to the radio and even like advertising more than most: Teens who recall TV ads are 44% more likely to say they liked the ad.

> Teens play video games, but their tastes aren’t all for the blood-and-guts style games: Just two of their top five most-anticipated games since 2005 have been rated “Mature.”

> Teens’ favorite TV shows, top websites and genre preferences across media are mostly the same as their parents: For U.S. teens, American Idol was the top show in 2008, Google the top website and general dramas are a preferred TV genre for teens around the world.