70 pct of Chinese primary, mid-school students have smartphones: survey

BEIJING -- A survey on the parent-child relationship in the network era has revealed that around 70 percent of Chinese primary and middle school students own smartphones, the China Youth Daily reported Tuesday.

The survey, covering primary and middle school students from China, the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), has found that 87.2 percent of ROK students have smartphones, followed by 68.1 percent of Chinese students. The percentages for American and Japanese students are 61.4 and 42.1 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, 88.4 percent of surveyed students have surfed the Internet, among which ROK students top the list, followed by American, Japanese and Chinese students.

Nearly 80 percent of Chinese students have access to the Internet, the least among the four countries, according to the survey, adding that most of the surveyed began to surf the Internet in primary school.

The survey also shows that 71.8 percent of Chinese students surf the Internet for less than an hour during school days, the least among the four countries.

The survey stresses the importance of students' use of computers, mobile phones and the Internet in moderation while advising parents to pay close attention to their children.