´óÏó´«Ã½

British web users are spending more time online than their European counterparts, according to Ofcom - the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries.

°¿´Ú³¦´Ç³¾â€™s ,Ìýoffers insights into the global communications market as well as the habits of web users across 17 countries, including the UK, France, Italy and Germany. The findings suggest that the UK is the most web-engaged country in Europe.

Smartphone ownership -Ìý asÌýwas previously indicated in research carried out this year – increased to 46%, 9% more than France, whilst online shopping is where the UK really leads the way, with 79% of web users ordering goods online in 2010. In Italy the figure was just 27%.Ìý

We can however be comforted by the fact that all that extra web usage isn’t costing us a fortune (other than what we purchase online, of course) as, on the whole, communications services are cheaper here than on the continent.

UK consumers were found to be more likely to play games on their phone, watch TV online through sites like ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer and also saw the largest growth in digital recording. But with all this time spent in front of a screen is increased web engagement necessarily something to be proud of?

In short. Yes. As a country we’ve come a long way in the last five years in getting the nation connected. With beginners' courses on offerÌýup and down the country, more people are discovering their potential through the internet. The figures reflect this improvement and are testament to how far we’ve come.

There’s still a balance to be met of course and being web-aware doesn’t mean we all have to be constantly web-engaged, but the internet is an enabler. It allows us to connect with people, catch up with programmes, order presents at midnight on a Sunday, and answer questions within seconds.

There are still Brits yet to benefit from learning web skills and getting access but if °¿´Ú³¦´Ç³¾â€™s report is anything to go by, we can be proud of what we’ve done so far and confident that more people will reap the rewards.

Visit the Give an Hour website to find out how you can introduce someone to life online.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.