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Social Media Mobile Ofcom

UK web use doubles in last decade, says Ofcom

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

May 11, 2015 | 2 min read

The average internet user is surfing the net for 20 hours a week, twice as much as they would have in 2005.

Ofcom research has revealed that web users (16 years old and above) spent nine hours and 54 minutes online each week in 2005 – now up to over 20 hours and 30 minutes in 2014.

The largest increase was witnessed among 16-24 year olds, with 10 hours and 24 minutes in 2005 almost tripling to 27 hours and 36 minutes by the end of 2014. The proportion of adults using the web also rose by half from six in ten to nine in ten.

Meanwhile, smartphone use has doubled in five years, from 30 per cent of adults in 2010 to 66 per cent in 2014.

The report also documented the tripling of social media use since 2007. Nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of internet users aged 16 and above say they have a social media profile, compared to 22 per cent in 2007.

Social media saw the biggest growth among 35-44 year olds, with 80 per cent of internet users in this age group now on social media, up from just 12 per cent in 2007.

The research questioned 1,890 adults aged 16 and over.

Social Media Mobile Ofcom

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