“Focus On the Digital Age gives an overview of ICT use in the UK,showing the extent to which people, education, business and government have taken up the new technology and how ICT is changing working and business practices,”this report from the official UK national statistics website says.From the section called use of ICT at home.”In January to April 2006,56 per cent of households in Great Britain had a desktop computer,30 per cent had a portable or laptop computer,and 7 per cent had a handheld computer.During this period, 87 per cent of people aged 16 to 30 had used a computer in the previous three months compared with 45 per cent of those aged 50 and over.
There are a range of functions available on mobile phones and these are continually being developed.By July 2005,66 per cent of adults in Great Britain had sent a text message and 68 per cent had received one,while 28 per cent had sent a picture or photo using their mobile phone and 27 per cent had received one.In January to April 2006,30 per cent of households possessed a mobile phone that could access the Internet,up from 20 per cent in April 2003.There is a strong link between the age of a mobile phone user and the reason for owning a mobile phone.Adults aged 55 and over are most likely to have a mobile phone for use in an emergency;those aged under 25 are most likely to have a mobile phone to text their friends and family. In 2005, 94 per cent of adults aged from 16 to 24 had sent a text message compared with 17 per cent of those aged 65 and over”.More topic sections and statistics found below.

Focus on the digital age