Use of the internet on a mobile phone or smart phone by age group (%)

Eurostat data show that the device used to access the internet varies according to age (see Figures 4 and 5). In the case of mobile phones, the difference in the number of users aged 16-24, on the one hand, and 55-74, on the other hand, is almost 50 %.
The largest difference in the use of desktop computers is only 16 % among the different age groups, probably due to the fact that the overall rate of use of this equipment is much lower than that of mobile devices. Data show that in 2018 the use of mobile phones and smartphones to access the internet increased by 9 % as a whole and by 12 % among people aged 55-74. The situation varies considerably among Member States. In Sweden and Denmark, for example, there are no significant differences across age categories. In Bulgaria, Greece, and Latvia, on the other hand, internet access from mobile/smart phones is four times more frequent among 16-34 year-olds than it is among 55-74 year-olds. It is often argued that women have more restricted access to new technologies than men. However, this also varies according to age, geographical origin, and educational level.