The number of households in the UK which own a tablet has nearly doubled in the past 12 months, up to 44 per cent from 24 per cent a year ago.

Thats according to an Ofcom report looking at use of media and communications technology, which also found that DQ (Digital Quotient) – its measurement for confidence and knowledge of this technology – peaks with 14-15 year olds, scoring 113 against an average of 100.

The report found that six year olds have the same DQ as 45 year olds, while more than 60 per cent of 55-plus Brits have a below-average score – though 28 per cent in the age group now own a tablet.

Youthful behaviour
Behaviour also varies between the age groups, unsurprisingly. Young adults spend an average 3 hours, 36 minutes on their smartphones each day, compared to the 1 hour, 22 minute average across all adults.

For 12-15 year olds, an incredible 94 per cent of communications time is spent using text-based platforms, including instant messaging and social networking as well as SMS, with just three per cent spent making voice calls – compared to 20 per cent for all adults.

“Between a third and a half of all adults are knowledgeable about 4G and super-fast broadband, yet adoption rates are lagging and this represents a key challenge going forward,” Adrian Baschnonga, lead telecommunications analyst at EY, commented on the news.

“Todays findings reveal a widening dichotomy in digital behaviours between generations. Technology literacy is now central to a healthy knowledgeable society and all industry stakeholders, from service providers to regulators, have a role to play in ensuring consumers feel comfortable with technology regardless of age.”

Subscribers up, revenues down
Across the board, smartphone adoption in the UK has risen 10 percentage points over the past year, reaching 61 per cent, a growth which Ofcom says has contributed to people spending an extra two hours per day on media and communications since 2010.

The number of mobile data connections in the UK has risen 13.3 per cent since the end of last year, up to a total 61.5m, but telecoms revenues are falling, down £0.6m in 2013 to £38.6bn.