Shanghai kids take to Internet aged 8, says survey

Beijing, June 16 (IANS) A study in China's Shanghai city has found that the average age of children beginning to use the Internet is eight and browsing the web on cell phones has become a popular trend.

According to the survey of over 1,000 children in the 10-14 age group, it was found that more than 75 percent of the children could surf the Internet via their cell phones though most people preferred access on computers, Shanghai Daily reported.

Watching online videos, listening to music and playing games were found to be the most popular web functions for children, found the survey issued by the Shanghai Children's Research Centre.

Many children also browse and write microblogs to have fun and communicate with others. Over 80 percent of children said the Internet provided a convenient way for them for studying and gaining useful information.

Nearly half of the children said they felt it was easier to communicate online than with each other in person, and over 10 percent said they were accustomed to surfing the Internet daily.