MySpace isn't just for kids.

Half of the popular site's users are 35 or older, according to comScore Media Metrix's analysis released Thursday of its U.S. Internet traffic measurements. Only 30 percent are under 25 despite a common belief that the site is mostly populated with youngsters.

Just a year ago, teens under 18 made up about 25 percent of MySpace, the popular online hangout owned by News Corp. That's now down to 12 percent in the comScore analysis.

By contrast, the 35-54 group at MySpace grew to 41 percent in August, from 32 percent a year earlier.

"This analysis confirms that the appeal of social-networking sites is far broader," said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president for comScore, adding that the data suggest that social networking is becoming mainstream.

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HOW THEY MEASURED IT

The study was based on comScore's regular panels for measuring Internet audiences, rather than MySpace's registration information, where users often lie about their age.

ComScore also reported that MySpace had 56 million unique U.S. visitors in August, much less than the 100 million-plus registered users MySpace has worldwide. The company has said about 10 percent of its users are abroad. A better explanation for the gap is the fact that many people have multiple profiles, each counted separately by MySpace but not by comScore.

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