(ECNS) -- Increasing numbers of children have begun using the Internet before they reach age 10, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) announced on Friday in its latest report.
Besides, more adults over 40 years of age have joined the legion of those online in China, already the country with the largest number of Internet users in the world.
Yet those aged between 10 and 39 still comprise 75.1 percent of the overall number, CNNIC said.
The gender ratio was 53.6 percent male and 46.4 percent female last year, the report added.
Moderately educated netizens are the largest group of Internet users, but more people with lower education levels have started to surf the net, growing by 2.6 percent last year compared to 2014.
About 25.2 percent of China's middle school students tend to use the Internet, followed by freelance and office staff, which account for 22.1 percent and 15.2 percent respectively, the report stated.
Netizens with a monthly pay between 2,001 to 3,000 yuan ($304 to $456) and 3,001 to 5,000 yuan are also a high proportion of Internet users, accounting for 18.4 percent and 23.4 percent respectively.
The number of people using the Internet in China rose to 688 million by the end of last year, a 2.4 percent increase from 2014, some 50.3 percent of the total population, it was noted.
