Young people’s relationship with brands has been changed forever, according to the Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground study. Friends are now the most relevant, most engaging, most targeted channels of communication available to marketers, it says. Friends, as much as brands, have the power to confer credibility onto a product. Giving tips on how media content will be most effective online, the report says content must not try to interrupt young people’s passion for communication and conversation, but become a part of that conversation; it should be ‘talkworthy’; and create a need to send to a friend. Adolescent desire for connection and communication dominates most ‘new’ behaviour, and this impacts how they navigate the world and their use of pure entertainment. Pointing to regional differences, the study found that amongst 8-14s globally, only in China was TV not the No. 1 media choice. China also has lower mobile usage amongst young people but the Internet enables only – and lonely – children to reach out and communicate using social networks, blogs and instant messaging.