It's never too late to keep fit

Pensioners surfing the internet are spending more time online than their younger counterparts.

So-called "silver surfers" dedicate an average of 42 hours a month to the World Wide Web, compared with 37.9 hours among 18 to 24-year-olds.

A greater interest in hobbies, news and local issues among the elderly is believed to be driving the trend, which sees over-65s account for nine per cent of all time spent online in the UK.

The figures, from a report by media regulator Ofcom, debunk the traditional image of pensioners as technophobes.

Although only 16 per cent of over-65s said they had used the internet at home in the 30-day period covered by the report, those that did use it stayed online for longer than any other age group.

And the trend is likely to continue for decades to come, with over-50s now accounting for a quarter of all UK internet users. Across all generations, average daily internet use in 2006 was 36 minutes, up 158 per cent on 2002.

The UK Communications Market 2007 report, which analyses Britain's media consumption patterns, also reveals that the internet seems to be growing in popularity with women.

Of time spent online by those in the 25 to 49 age bracket, more than half is by women, with shopping and parenting sites proving particular attractions.

However, the trend has failed to reach the over-65s as yet - 80 per cent of internet surfing by pensioners is done by men.

The report also unveiled a trend away from computer games and watching DVDs among children.

However, instead of marking a return to active outdoor pursuits, the figures simply reflect a move towards youngsters using the internet and using mobile phones and MP3 players.

Between 2005 and 2007, the proportion of children playing computer games dipped by about ten per cent.

The proportion watching DVDs and videos went down by about 20 per cent in the same period, as did the number who regularly listened to the radio. Similar trends were evident in the adult population.

Ofcom spokesman Peter Phillips said: "Use of the internet is now starting to eat into the time that people are spending using traditional media like TV and radio."

The media watchdog's report notes that 75 per cent of 11-year-olds now have their own TV, games console and mobile phone.

And despite concerns about paedophiles using the internet to groom children, seven per cent of ten-year-olds have their own webcam, a figure that rises to 15 per cent among 13 to 15-year-olds.

The study provides a telling insight into how technological advances are affecting our habits when it comes to the media. For example, more households now use solely mobile phones than rely on landlines.

There are nine per cent mobileonly households and seven per cent fixed line-only, while 84 per cent have both.

And there was bad news for companies advertising on television. The survey says that of the 15 per cent of the population who have invested in a digital video recorder, nearly four out of five fast-forward through the commercial breaks.

According to Ofcom's figures, although the British public consumption of media in general has gone up, we are paying less for it.

We now consume more than 50 hours of media - via phone, internet, TV and radio - each week on average.

Yet in 2006 the average household spend on communications services was £92.65 per month, down from £94.03 in 2005.