A whopping 90% of US 9-12 year-olds play online games, according to a survey by M2 Research <http://www.m2research.com/kids-and-games-report-release.htm>. 

Broken down by gender, 91% of boys and 93% of girls play games online, M2 says.

The survey of 5,000 children and teens nationwide also found that Facebook is now the favorite Web site among boys 8-11 and girls 12-15 (Note: Facebook’s minimum age is 13 – see this earlier post for some experts’ views on U13 use <http://www.netfamilynews.org/?p=29026>). 

In other game-related findings, Nintendo is tops in the handheld gaming space, but – because of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad – “Apple is becoming a significant player especially with girls,” M2 found. 

Sony’s PSP is much more popular with girls (70% use the Playstation Portable, compared to 44% of boys).

As for favourite games, the big brands still top kids’ lists, but the study said their favorite games and sites do “change often.” At the time of the survey, girls’ top pick was the Mario Series (20% of girls said it was their favourite), while boys’ was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (36% of teen boys).

What are your kids playing/using?