Tablet and smartphone most popular among young Internet users
Internet use among children under 14 has remained stable in recent years: Almost half use the Internet; the older the child, the more frequently he or she uses the Web. Most frequently with tablet or smartphone, as the NET-Metrix-Base study shows.
For the fourth time, NET-Metrix is publishing data on the Internet use of 0- to 13-year-olds in Switzerland. As part of an online survey, around 4,000 people provided information on how the children in their household use the Internet. In the process, data was collected on around 1600 children.
The older, the more active online
Young teenagers are the most active on the web. While 93 percent of 10- to 13-year-olds are online, 13 percent of 0- to 4-year-olds are. Among kindergarten and primary school children (5- to 9-year-olds), 51 percent surf the Internet at least occasionally.
The proportion of daily Internet users also increases with age: while only 10 percent of children up to the age of 8 surf the Internet daily, 36 percent of children aged 9 to 11 and 73 percent of young people aged 12 to 13 are daily Internet users.
Streaming is high on the agenda
Streaming is the preferred activity on the web: 67 percent of young Internet users watch videos on the web (for example, on YouTube), watch TV online or listen to music online. 55 percent of web kids research information in search engines. Among 9- to 13-year-olds in particular, using search engines is their main activity on the Internet (75 percent). Online games round out the top 3: 52 percent of young Internet users enjoy playing games online.
Tablet and smartphone particularly appreciated
Among children, the tablet remains the most popular device: It is used by 52 percent of young Internet users to surf the Web. Close behind is the smartphone, which has evolved: Today, 46 percent of young Internet users use this device for surfing, compared with just 31 percent in 2016.
The NET Metrix Base provides basic data on the number and structure of Internet users. It includes sociodemographic characteristics, information on Internet user groups, locations and frequency of Internet use, and use of various types of offerings on the Internet, etc. Since 2013, trend studies have been collected with variables on the use of mobile devices, streaming offers, social media, online shopping and online gaming.
Around 19,000 online and telephone interviews are conducted annually for the study, and around 15,000 interviews from 2019. The survey covers the resident population in Switzerland and Liechtenstein aged 14 and over in private households.
