චීනයේ අන්තර්ජාල ප්‍රවේශ අනුපාතය සියයට 78ක් දක්වා ඉහළ ට

China's netizen population nears 1.1 billion as more youths, seniors move online

China continues to welcome millions of more people online as its total internet population neared the 1.1 billion-mark, according to a new report, which showed new users both young and old are keen to get connected and are particularly being drawn to the entertainment offered on short-video platforms.

The latest report on China's internet development released Thursday said the total number of netizens in the country had reached just under 1.1 billion as of June this year, up by more than 7.4 million from the end of 2023.

Internet penetration in the country reached 78 percent by the end of June, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) report issued during the ongoing China International Big Data Industry Expo 2024 in Guiyang of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

The report showed that as of May, active users of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) hit 764 million, the mobile network IPv6 traffic accounted for 64.5 percent, while the support rate for IPv6 in primary commercial websites and mobile internet applications reached 90 percent.

China has held the highest number of top-level domain names in the world for a decade, and had more than 31.8 million domain names listed by the end of the June, with the number using the ".cn" country code standing at over 19.5 million, taking up 61 percent of the total.

"The continuous enrichment of China's internet basic resources has significantly improved the network supply capacity, broadened user scenarios, promoted technological innovation and industrial upgrading, laid a more solid foundation for the healthy development of the internet industry, and injected strong impetus for high-quality economic and social development," said Liu Yulin, director of the China Internet Network Information Center.

The report also showed that among the 7.42 million newly-recorded internet users, the vast majority were youths aged between 10 to 19, with this age bracket accounting for 49 percent of the new netizens.

However, those aged 50 to 59 represented over 15 percent of the new-user total, while the group aged 60 and above took up a 20 percent share, highlighting how more seniors are moving online and eagerly embracing new digital technology.

In terms of user habits, as well as making use of instant messaging services, more than 37 percent of the new internet users were drawn to the easily accessible entertainment brought by short-video apps, the report said, adding that over 95 percent of the total netizens are short-video users.

"The reason why short video applications show strengths in growing new subscribers is due to their convenience, diverse contents and customized algorithmic recommendation. In the future, short video platforms will continue to play a key role in the digitalization process, helping narrow the digital gap by providing more diversified content and simplified operations, so that more people can enjoy the convenience of the digital age," Liu said.

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