Mobile users get busy on the Net as night falls

Nighttime has become a peak period for China's smartphone users to access the Internet, according to a report.

It found that they were surfing on their phones the most between 8 pm and 10 pm. More users were also on their devices at 11 pm than between 9 am and 10 am.

The report, the Greenbook of Mobile Phone App Trends, was compiled by 360 Mobile Phone Assistant, a premier store that distributes Android apps in China, which had more than 600 million users as of September.

Wang Junxiu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the data suggest a growing addiction to mobile phones for social interaction.

"The country's urbanization has led to people moving to big cities. When someone arrives in a new city, they can feel lonely and need consoling," Wang said.

The number of mobile social network apps offer the chance for exchanges with distant friends, he said, adding, "People tend to feel delighted when their messages gain likes, comments and reposts."

Gan Mantang, a sociologist at Fuzhou University, said it was inevitable that people would become more dependent on mobile phones, because they can use them for a wide range of tasks, including work, study and entertainment.

Gan said people living in urban areas who are busy with work may only have free time at night to socialize. "That also explains why there are so many mobile users at night."

But he also suggested that people reduce the amount of time they spend on their mobiles at night, as this may affect their sleep patterns.

The report follows a survey in 2013 by Mobileinsurance.co.uk, which found that 9 percent of adults in Britain would rather live without their children for a week than give up their mobile phones. Fifty-three percent of those polled admitted they were addicted to their handsets. More than 2,570 adults across Britain, between ages 18 and 30, were interviewed for the survey.

US citizens are no exception, according to an infographic released in April by FinancesOnline.com, a US-based personal finance website. While 26 percent of US citizens report that they can't live without their smartphones, only 20 percent of them say they can't live without sex.

Sunli@chinadaily.com.cn