90.6% of children aged between 6 and 14 stated that they had used a computer in the last three months, 8% more than a year ago, according to Eustat data. This was 7.3 per cent more than young people aged 15 to 24 and 24.3 points more than the 25 to 34 year-olds.

Children mainly used the computer for games –95%-, but there was also a high percentage that used word processors –56%. 11.4% made use of the PC to copy CD-ROMs or DVDs, while among users aged 15 or more this percentage increased to 42.5%.

Seven out of ten children –86.9%- had used a computer in their place of study in the last three months, 10 per cent more than a year previously, and 77.1% in the home, 5.8 points more.

43.6% of schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 can access the Internet in their centre of study

Almost half the population aged 6 to 14 –47.3%- could access the Internet in the home and 43.6% in their place of study. A year earlier 37.1% had the possibility of access from their place of study.

In recent months, 38.2% of children connected to the Internet, 7% more than a year ago. Nevertheless, the age group to most connect to the Internet was that of the 15 to 24 year-olds, with 76.7%, double that of the 6 to 14 year-olds. For those people aged between 25 and 34, this rate came to 53.6% and from this age onwards, it fell to 50%.

Three out of four child Internet users accessed the Internet in the place of study –74.5%-, 63.7% did so at home and 17% in another place. The possibility of access in the place of study grew especially: 16.2% in the last year.

Over half the number of child Internet users visit media websites

Three out of four child Internet users visited libraries and other information sources, 59% media sites (68.7% of those aged 15 or over) and 55.8% visited websites dedicated to leisure. Chatrooms were also significant, used by almost half, compared to 34.8% of the population aged 15 or over. The opposite was true of e-mails: 36.7% compared to 80% of the rest of the population under study.

36.1% of children used Basque as the navigation language, 11.2 per cent more than young people aged 15 to 24, and only 4.5% used English.

There was a 5% rise in the number of mentions of online newspapers in the last six months

In the last six months, the number of mentions by Basque Internet users of the websites of online newspapers increased by 5%, representing one in five of the total number of websites mentioned. As can be seen in the table below, among the top five websites mentioned, two were online newspapers and two were official bodies of the Basque Government.

GIPUZKOA.NET, IBERIA.COM and ELPAIS.ES were the websites to most grow in the number of mentions

The official webpage of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa grew by 7,600 mentions over the last six months, representing the greatest increase, followed by that of Iberia, with 6,600 more and the online version of El País, 6,400 more. Additionally, Internet users increasingly identify HOTMAIL more as a website than as a search engine (54,000 this quarter, 40,400 more than a year ago), occupying the 2nd position in the ranking for the 2nd quarter of 2004.

9 out of 10 Internet users utilised GOOGLE for their search engine

Over half a million Internet users –550,600- gave GOOGLE as their search engine, 42,600 more than 6 months ago. YAHOO remained stable with 83,000 users and TERRA lost 16,000.