Net breaks up families

More than a million Net users in the UK spend more time online than they do asleep, according to the latest survey from Continental Research. This soporific stat is just one of a bundle of titbits that researchers say depict online trends in Britain. Another, is that a third of Britain's regular 11.1 million Net users spend more time online than they do watching TV. And 11 per cent spend less time with their families as a result of their Internet use. To top the lowlights from Continental Research’s Fifth Annual report analysts claim nearly £2 billion was spent online during the last year by Net users in Britain. Given that an estimated £194 billion was spent in the high street in the last year, online sales only accounted for a measly 1 per cent of all retail purchases. That's despite the fact that the number of people hooked up to the Net has doubled over the last year. ®