The number of internet users in Saudi Arabia has soared to over 700,000, a 22 percent increase from last year, reported the Gulf News on Thursday.
According to statistics compiled by a Riyadh-based organization, most Saudi youngsters spend an average of four hours daily on the internet. Forty-seven percent of surfers are attracted by pornographic sites, said the organization.
The study confirms that a large number of internet users visit sites that are prohibited by the authorities.
They defy rules laid down by the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, an official body assigned to provide internet services in Saudi Arabia.
The body has blocked over 300,000 pornographic sites, and users are denied access to sites that display pictures that violate Islamic values.
Seventy-eight percent of surfers are male and most are aged between 24 and 32, according to the study.
The majority do not use the internet for study and research, but for recreation, it added - Albawaba.com
