Google report: More than half of Romanians use smartphones

More than half of Romanians (53%) were using a smartphone at the end of 2016, up from only 12% at the end of 2012, according to a research commissioned by Google. Worldwide, 70% of Internet users had a smartphone at the end of 2016, double compared to four years ago, the same study shows. More than 90% of young Romanians aged under 25 are using smartphones, compared to only 24% four years ago. While 73% of respondents use the search engines on the mobile device, 79% go on social media platforms, and over half check their e-mails. The research also shows that three quarters of young Romanians watch video clips on their smartphones at least once a week, 66% listen to music, 71% check the time, and 65% take pictures. Almost 40% of all smartphones users in Romania say that they access the Internet from their phones more often than from their computers, and only 17% still prefer the computers to go online. Slightly over 30% of Romanian respondents use two smart devices and 15% use three devices (smartphone, laptop, and tablet). Only a quarter say they only use just one device. The Google Consumer Barometer report presents a conclusion of a multiannual study conducted in 40 countries, including Romania. The study documents a five-year research carried out between 2012 and 2016, during which Google and Kantar TNS conducted more than 625,000 interviews with people worldwide. Nearly half of Romanian smart gadget users are afraid that their devices can be hacked Study: almost a third of Romanian internet users release personal information online Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com