US kids are most net-savvy

Three-quarters of US secondary school children are connected to the Internet, according to new figures from the Pew and American Life Project.

The study found that 30 million US children to have online access, translating to 45 percent of those under the age of 18.

Children aged between 12 and 17 emerged as the most Net-savvy group, with 73 percent of them being connected to the Web. Twenty-nine percent of those under the age of 12 are now online.

British children in the 12 to 17 age group, by comparison, accounted for just 11 percent of the total UK online population in January, according to research conducted by Internet research firm NetValue. A comparative study by Jupiter MMXI showed British boys to be keener Internet users than girls. In January, the 15 to 24 age group constituted 11 percent of male home Net users, whereas girls of the same age were lagging behind slightly at seven percent.

The American study found age to offer the greatest disparity amongst its online population. Seventy-five percent of US individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 were connected, compared with 15 percent of those aged 65 and over.

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