As they will represent computer users long into the future, it is important to understand the ways in which young people use ICTs. At the same time, it is important to recognize that these uses are not static and are likely to change over time.

Of the three ICT index scores included in this study, young Canadian computer users were most different from the rest of the population in terms of their elevated diversity and intensity of Internet use (Chart 12).

As noted earlier, these young users also had higher indices for use of computers for task-oriented purposes and perceived usefulness and attitude toward computers, but these differences were not as pronounced as the gap between young and older users in Internet use.

The second youngest group - those aged 26 to 35 years - were not far behind the youngest users in Internet use. These are individuals who would have been in their late teens or twenties in the mid-90s, beginning their careers at a time when Internet use began to emerge as a growing phenomenon.

Chart 12. Diversity and intensity of Internet use by age group, Canada, 2003

Source: Statistics Canada, Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, 2003.

It comes as no surprise, given the broad differences in attitudes and use, that young Canadians have devoted a significant part of their time to using computers (Table 7). A large proportion of Canadian computer users aged 16 to 25 years (43.3%) used computers at home an average of one hour or more per day, while 18.1% used them for 2 hours or more. Given time spent on computers at work, school, and other locations (not measured here), the total time spent in a typical day is even higher.