China - Internet and youth

More than 100 million young netizens keen on updated blog space

Up to December 31, 2007，the number of young netizens who under the age of 25 has reached 107 million, holding for a half of the overall size of Internet users. This is the largest age group among Internet users in China which reflected a good potential for growth and development.

In the meanwhile, online games and youth Internet addicts has become a universal concerned issue by the community and the government. Young people online are inclined to entertainment, making friends and play online games.

The number of China's young netizens is more than 100 million Utilization of blog is much more than average level.

The Young netizen is a group which has features of dynamic, active thinking, encourage to innovation and adventurous spirit. If reflected in the network activities that are the abundant species network utilization. The Statistics showed that, non-students among young netizens have 20.8 hours per week of surfing time which is much higher than the average level of 16.2 hours per week for overall netizens. Among the analysis from 15 kinds of network utilization, the young Internet users reached 7.4 per person from18-24 years of age. The utilization rate of instant messaging, online games, Internet television, network news, search engines, and other Internet services are as higher as 50 percent in the groups of young netizens.

In addition, in terms of applications of blog and personal space, there has 33% of young internet users refreshed their blog space within six months, which is higher than the average level of 23.5 percent, it also reflected that young people prefer to take part in personalized and creative network application.

In six months, more than thirty percent of the young people have ever used mobile phones to surf the internet which is high than the national ratio of mobile internet users, moreover, the college students is occupied the largest proportion of internet users which has 40 percent use mobile phone to surf the Internet.

High proportion of Youth makes friends online and online games. Almost 30% of them tend to addict

When the good momentum of Internet applications in the youth, meanwhile, the network application level is still not high, net addiction tendencies, the gap between urban and other issues should not be overlooked.

Data reflects that young netizens are inclined to make friends and do entertainment acts through the internet. The most majority of young Internet users have desires and behaviors to make and communicate with friends through the internet, 55.9 percent of them have the experience of making friends through the internet and the rate of young netizens which use instant messaging has exceeded 90 percent, while the instant-messaging software is one of important way for young people to make friends. But how to prevent lonely and ivory-towered feeling and other negative effects which rooted in making virtual friends are worth for government and educational institutions to concern about it. In terms of network entertainment, the young netizens are focus on entertainment, sports, to be star fans, foods and tourism, but on current affairs, news and educational information which has lower degree of concern. Especially among the primary schools and secondary school, the utilization rate of network education only has 18 percent.

According to the survey, there has 73.7 percent among Chinese minor netizens (under the age of 18 years) who ever played online games within six months, it has become unique phenomenon in our country, however, the developed countries is far from such high rate of online games. It has concerned by our community because online addiction can delay the normal living and study.

In addition, nearly 30 percent of young netizens have tendency of network addiction and they believe "They feel lack of something if not surf on the internet", and this kind of tendency is more obviously among non-student young netizens, this ratio reached 36.5 percent. But the data also showed that the proportion is lower than 38.3 percent, the average national netizens rate. When taking into account of time and preference of network application, the youth addiction problem still need more attention from the public and the government.

With the same conditions of our country’s network development, the young netizens are mainly urban residents, nearly 70 percent. But because they lack of resources for surfing the internet, loose administration in rural internet bar and other factors, these factors lead 60 percent of them make choice of internet bar, which is higher than 43 percent of urban ratio. Their applications of network forms are more rarely.

Young netizens have not yet forming the world values and they have weak ability of self-control, so we are facing a big problem of how to help them to establish a right consciousness in usage of networks. Targeting the status quo of application of networks among young people, CNNIC provides specific recommendations in terms of cooperation in governmental departments, intensify the management of the Internet industry, and vigorously promote balanced and health development of the internet as well as in-depth development of it.