Average online age rises

Older people are increasingly using the internet, pushing up the proportion of the online population who are ´silver surfers´.

Research carried out by Nielsen Online revealed that the proportion of internet users under the age of 25 fell from 29 per cent to 25 per cent in the last year.

In contrast, the share of the online population made up by over 55-year-olds rose from 16 per cent to 19 per cent.

Overall, the study showed that the average age of the internet population in the UK rose in the last 12 months to 37.9 from 35.7.

"Age compositions tend to evolve subtly over a number of years so to see such large changes in the course of just a year shows that the internet population is undergoing a significant ageing process," said Alex Burmaster from Nielsen Online.

"It will be very interesting to see whether this trend continues over the next 12 months and, if so, whether the types of services and products offered and marketed online adapt to reflect this changing population."

The study revealed that the brand with the oldest average unique user age was Marks & Spencer, at 46.5, while games site MiniClip attracted the youngest audience, with an average of 28.1.
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