Students spend holidays online

GUANGZHOU: Students prefer to stay at home and surf the Net during holidays rather than do outdoor activities, according to a spokesperson at Guangzhou Children's Palace (GCP) yesterday.

A GCP survey, in conjunction with a local consultation company, found just 3.8 percent of pupils, aged four to 14, chose to do outdoor activities during the holidays. The poll was of 103 middle school students.

"Five years ago when the Internet was not so popular among students they preferred going out during summer holidays. Nowadays they prefer to stay at home and play Internet games," GCP media official Chen Weiqing said, adding statistics on the issue were only now being compiled.