Click to enlarge

Among active home web users, 78 percent were connected to the internet via broadband as of November - up 65 percent from a year ago.

Broadband consumers use the internet much more than those with a dial-up connection, spending 33 percent more time - totaling an average of 35 hours per week, per person - and most of them are kids and young adults, according to a report from Nielsen/Net Ratings.

Particularly among kids and teens, entertainment and social sites keep users the most occupied. Online gaming sites like pogo.com and EA.com lead the pack, while AOL Instant Messenger and email services like Yahoo Mail and Google's Gmail were also in the top 10. Social-networking favorite MySpace was in fourth place, with a monthly average time spent of two hours and eight minutes per person.

"What most of these websites have in common is that they engage the consumer for an extended period of time by offering a way to connect with others," said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics, Nielsen/NetRatings.

"Online games provide an outlet for camaraderie and playfulness, while instant messaging, email and social networking allow for more direct, albeit often equally creative, communication."