People in the UK are spending twice as much time on the internet now than they did ten years ago, thanks in part to the availability of smart phones and tablets.
Unsurprisingly, young people aged from 16 to 24 are the heaviest users, investing an average the equivalent of more than a day a week (27.5 hours) on the internet, according to Ofcom. This has rocketed from 10.5 hours per week in 2005.
The average adult spends nearly a day a week (more than 20 hours) online, including time at work. Some 2.5 hours are dedicated to “online while on the move” away from home or work; ten years ago the average was just 30 minutes.
Nearly all adults in Britain today use the internet; Ofcom’s survey showed that nearly 90% go online.
Of them, 70% admitted they are comfortable giving away personal data on the internet, such as home address and photos. A quarter confess to not ever reading website terms or privacy statements.
Two-thirds of internet users use the same passwords for most or all websites, despite frequent warnings about how much cyber fraudsters benefit from such poor practice.
While the computer is still the main device used, two-thirds of adults regularly use a smart phone, especially for watching video clips, playing games, sending messages and accessing social media.
More people are watching TV and films online, with 25% of adults watching programmes later and nearly 40% of young people doing so.
Social media showed the largest gains, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instgram and Tumblr.
Some 80% of internet users aged 35 to 44 now use social media, up from just 12% in 2007. As if Mark Zuckerberg had not already amassed a fortune.
In total, the use of social media has tripled since 2007, when Ofcom first asked. Nearly 75% of those aged 16 and above say they have a social media profile, compared to 22% in 2007.
