By the end of the first half of this year, China's netizens totaled 123 million, and those under the age of 18, 18.3 million, accounting for 14.9 percent of the total.

"The Internet has become an important facility in Chinese youth's daily life," an official with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League said Sunday.

"Through the Internet, the young people can get information for study, work and entertainment," he said,

China's Internet industry is on the upswing and minor netizens are both beneficiaries and a driving force of the industry's development, he said.

"We can cultivate more talents and experts from them through proper guidance," he said.

Meanwhile, the official also pointed out several problems that need to be resolved concerning the influence of the Internet's rapid development on minors.

"The most typical problem is the network addiction," he stressed.

About 13.2 percent Chinese netizens are network addicts, according to a report released in November 2005 by China Youth Association For Network Development.