Young men are hooked on the web - even in bed

Almost all young men use the internet every day, and it is the technology they are most attached to, according to new study.

Research conducted by Sparkler for Microsoft Advertising across the UK found that 99% of young males go online either every day or nearly every day, and half of them already use their mobile phones to do so. And 80% even go so far as to say that they would be lost without it.

The Internet is the technology 57% of men between 18 and 44 are most attached to, closely followed by mobile phones with 49%, and TV with 46%.

In fact, the internet is so important for today's men, that it is often the first thing they think about when they wake up: 25% of young men admitted to checking their email and 18% to looking at social networking sites on their mobile phone before they get out of bed in the morning. Some 94% use email at least once per day, compared with 60% that use a social network such as Facebook.

For the younger generation, the relevance of television is fading. Instead, the internet is always "on". Some 73% of young males between 18 and 44 watch video-on-demand at least once a week, with nearly half watching full-length TV programmes.

More than 25% of young males living with their partners watch TV on a computer in the living room while their other half uses the main TV set. Some 38% even claim to have surfed the internet while in bed with their partner.

So will the internet finally teach men how to multitask?

It looks like it. The study reveals at least that young men are never "doing nothing", but check football scores online while they're waiting for their dinner to cook or simply browse out of boredom if there is nothing else to do.