The study also examined the use of the Internet by children and how it is affecting their development and family life. Thirty-two percent of parents with an online child feel that being online has positively influenced the quality of their child's relationships with other family members and friends. Parents in each of the countries surveyed picked different reasons why Internet use is beneficial for their children. The survey also highlights the differences in how British, French and German consumers put the Internet's convenience to work. French online users are more likely than U.K. and German users to look up local entertainment information, use instant messaging and meet people with like interests online.
French users are also more likely to suggest that their friends and family go online.
German online consumers engage in more finance related online activities than their counterparts in Britain and in France. Thirty-one percent of German online consumers track their portfolio online, while only 14 percent of French and 13 percent of U.K. online consumers do so. And 20 percent of German online consumers trade stocks online, compared to 11 percent of French and only 9 percent of U.K. consumers. British online consumers are more likely than their French and German counterparts to engage in e-commerce related activities. U.K. online consumers regularly or occasionally shop online, compared to 39 percent of German and 24 percent of French online consumers.