Businesses may hesitate about getting stuck into social media, but one thing they should be in no doubt about is that this is where consumers are increasingly to be found.

In a new study by uSwitch.com, a quarter of adults say they need to use sites such as Facebook and Twitter at least once a day and almost a third of 18-24 year olds log onto them more than five hours a week. They even check them while they are away.

The social networking boom is clearly a major reason why people spend so much time online – up to 30 hours a week in some cases, the survey says. The average Brit now spends five hours a day online for work and leisure purposes, three at weekends. The figures for  18-24 year olds are even higher: seven hours per day during the week and five per day at the weekend.

More details here.