In China, 98.1 percent of students under the age of 18 have browsed the internet, much higher than the rate of all-age internet using of 57.7 percent, according to an annual report released on Sept 10 on Internet Use and Reading Practice of Chinese Minors (2017-18), carried out by several organizations led by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Media Research Center, China Daily reported.

The findings were based on a survey of more than 6,000 students between the ages of 7 and 18 from October 2017 to February 2018. Chinese children are surfing the web earlier in life, with almost 75 percent saying they first used the internet before 10, up from 55.9 percent in 2010, the study has found.

Though more than half of the respondents said the internet had helped them with their studies, almost 30 percent said they surf the internet for unrelated content while studying, which they said distracts them from their schoolwork, the report said.