Mobile surfing preferred by young Chinese

Mobile phones have become the new Internet access terminal for Chinese youths, according to the recently-released "Survey Report on the Use of Internet and Mobile Phones by Chinese Youths." The report shows that around 47 percent of the surveyed youths own mobile phones and 40 percent of them use mobile phones to surf the Internet.
This survey mainly focused on students aged from 10 to 18 at 106 primary and middle schools in 10 provinces and municipalities, such as Beijing, Zhejiang and Gansu. It took more than half a year to complete and covered topics ranging from the youths' usage of the Internet and mobile phones, their phone surfing report as well as the impact that new media has on youth.
The young Chinese surf through mobile phones, according to the survey, and mainly concentrate on QQ (the most popular instant messenger tool in China) chatting, music, blogging, photos sharing, googleing and online games. About 90 percent use their mobile phones to chat online through QQ.
The report also suggests the pros and cons regarding youths' phone surfing. Compared with computer surfing, phone surfing is more convenient and efficient. But its ubiquity and accessibilities also make the youths more exposed to harmful information.
Furthermore, parents control becomes more unmanageable through the inconspicuous surfing platform. It is a social worry that this would possibly affect the study and lives of youths.
This survey was jointly sponsored by the Chinese Young Pioneers Business Development Center, the Youth Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Institute of Journalism and Communication under the CASS and China Youth University for Political Sciences.
By Li Yancheng, People's Daily Online
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