According to a report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) on August 29, the number of Internet users in mainland China reached nearly 1.1 billion by the end of June (about 78% of the population), up 7.42 million from December last year. More than 37% of new Internet users were attracted to short video applications.

Entertainment and social needs are the main drivers of internet usage in China. About 95% of web users in the country have watched short videos, which are available on popular platforms including Douyin, Kuaishou, and WeChat.

The survey found that short films, which typically last a few minutes each, are watched by more than 52% of internet users. As the sector has grown in popularity, Chinese authorities have tightened oversight. Since June, all domestic short films have been required to undergo a production permit and content review before they can be broadcast.

The majority of internet users in the first half of this year were between the ages of 10 and 19, accounting for 49% of the total, as well as seniors aged 50 and over, accounting for 36%.

CNNIC, which has conducted a biannual survey of China's internet sector since 1997, has recorded a slowdown in user growth. China added 11.09 million web users in the same period last year.

Digital payments are becoming more popular among seniors and foreigners. In the first six months of the year, more than three-quarters of internet users aged 60 and over used online payment services.

During the same period, more than 5 million tourists to China used mobile payments, a four-fold increase from a year earlier. More than 90 million transactions were made, worth more than 14 billion yuan ($2 billion), a seven-fold increase from the same period last year, according to CNNIC data.

China achieved the figures after two mobile payment services, Alipay and WeChat Pay, made it easier for foreign tourists to pay for goods and services on the mainland, according to new guidelines issued by the Chinese government in March.

Ngoc Anh (according to SCMP)