Gen Y consumers are at the forefront of a host of web-based activities, but behind in others, according to new research.

Online users age 18-26 are leading the charge in various online realms, including social computing, banking, gaming and podcasts, writes MediaPost, citing a Forrester Research study, "The State of Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2006." Gen Y members spend, on average, 12.2 hours online each week; that's 28 percent more than members of Gen X (age 27-40). Members of Gen Y are three times as likely as Gen X-ers to use social networking, twice as likely to visit blogs, 50 percent more likely to send instant messages.

Also, nearly 40 percent of Gen Y survey respondents said they "like to research products online and purchase them offline," followed closely by Gen X, and 30 percent of "younger boomers" (age 41-50) and less than 25 percent of "older boomers" (age 51-61).

In 2005, Gen X households accounted for more than one-third of all online purchases, compared with younger Boomers, who accounted for about one-fourth, and older Boomers, who account for about one-fifth. Gen Y trailed far behind, with less than one-tenth.