Surveys conducted by local tertiary institutions have found that the majority of young people spend at least an hour on the internet every day.
Also, college students prefer to use instant messaging rather than e-mail to keep in touch with friends.
The findings were presented at this weekend's international conference on digital communication and social transformation held at the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).
The conference, Digital Communication and Social Transformation: Chinese Societies and Beyond, was
co-organised by HKBU and Nanjing University. More than 180 experts from 12 countries and regions took part.
Kara Chan and Fang Wei, both from the HKBU, conducted a survey on Hong Kong young people's use of traditional media and the internet.
Of the 405 respondents aged 15 to 24, 50 per cent said they spent one to three hours a day surfing the internet at home, while 30 per cent said they spent more than three hours.