Britons are the second most prolific Facebook and Twitter users in EUROPE with a fifth now aged over 65 Figures from the Office for National Statistics and Eurostat show Britons are among the most prolific social networkers in Europe - only beaten by the Netherlands Almost a fifth of over 65s now use social networks Half of UK adults now use Facebook and Twitter The number of Britons going online has doubled since 2006 and almost half of the 33 million current UK internet users use social networks on a daily basis, new figures show. People in the UK were also found to be the second most prolific social network users in Europe - being beaten only by the Netherlands - according to figures from the latest report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Eurostat. The figures also discovered that although the majority of UK users are aged between 16 and 24 years old, 19 per cent of people aged 65 to 74 now use social networks. The Office for National Statistics and Eurostat have studied the number of people across Europe who are using social networks. The Netherlands tops the group at 65 per cent with the UK in second place, making up more than half - 57 per cent - of European social network users As well as tracking internet use across Europe during 2012, the report also looked into how many people are accessing social networks from their mobile devices. The Opinions and Lifestyle survey is a monthly, face-to-face survey carried out by the ONS. It samples around 2,010 adults in Great Britain each month and every year, between January and March, a section is included looking at internet use. According to the most recent report, almost half of all adults in the UK - 48 per cent - used social networking sites in 2012. Around two thirds - 62 per cent - of adults aged 35 to 55 use social networks to communicate online. While 40 per cent of adults aged 45 to 54 are now using social networks regularly. A fifth of 65 to 74 year olds surveyed by the ONS and Eurostat said they used social networks on a daily basis. In younger age groups, the highest proportion of 16 to 24 years olds using these social sites from mobile devices was found in Sweden at 40 per cent As part of the 2012 Internet Access section, participants were asked about which activities they used the internet for, in the three months prior to their interview. One of the responses was 'Social networking, using websites e.g. Facebook or Twitter'. Analysis of the responses found that there was no difference in the use of social networking by men and women. However, there was a marked difference in use between age groups. In general, the proportion of adults recently using social networks decreased with age. In the 16 to 24 age group, 90 per cent of respondents used social networks in the three months before their interview. Yet 19 per cent of the 65 and over age group also selected this response. Within the EU the UK ranked second behind the Netherlands for social networking. Over half - 57 per cent - of UK adults reported that they had used social networks in the three months prior to the survey. This is compared to 65 per cent of Dutch people using social networks Internet use figures were then collected across Europe by Eurostat, so these UK findings could be compared to international use. Eurostat's findings were slightly broader than the UK's because it defined social network use as "posting messages to chat sites, social networking sites, blogs, newsgroups, discussion forums and the use of Instant Messaging (IM) ." This is compared to 65 per cent of Dutch people using social networks, and 55 per cent of Swedish residents sat in third. According to the current ONS report, recent growth in social networking can 'partly be explained by increasing mobile Internet use in Great Britain.' In 2012, just over half - 52 per cent - of all adults used a mobile device to access the Internet and, of these, 63 per cent accessed social networks In 2012 the UK was placed second out of all EU countries accessing social networks from mobile devices. Sweden topped the group with the highest proportion of adults - 40 per cent - using these social sites on the go By further comparison, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in May 2011 that half of all adults in the United States used 'social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn. In 2012, just over half - 52 per cent - of all adults used a mobile device to access the internet and, of these 63 per cent accessed social networks. The term 'mobile' in this context refers to any mobile or smart phone, PDA, MP3 player, e-book reader or handheld game console. It did not include tablet computers. In 2012, the UK was placed second out of all EU countries accessing social networks from mobile devices. Sweden topped the group this time with the highest proportion of adults - 40 per cent - using these social sites on the go. As with overall internet use, social networking on a mobile device in Europe was most popular with the younger age groups. Approximately seven out of 10 adults used mobile devices for accessing social networks in the 16 to 24 age group, while just 1 in 100 of those aged 65 and over did so. Looking specifically at those aged 16 to 24, the UK has the joint fifth highest proportion of social networkers in the EU - at 90 per cent. The map shows the amount of people aged 16 to 24 using social networks on a daily basis across Europe. The dark purple shows countries where 90 per cent of their young residents use Facebook, Twitter and MySpace This map shows the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds using social networks from a mobile device across Europe. The UK has the joint fifth highest proportion of social networkers in the EU - at 90 per cent The Netherlands topped the group again, with 97 per cent of Dutch 16 to 24-year-olds using social networks. This was followed by Sweden, Slovenia and Portugal on 92 per cent. However, there were marked differences across the EU when accessing social networks via a mobile device. In 2012 there was a very low take up of social networking via a mobile in Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic where the proportions were all less than 5 per cent. The UK data was taken from England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland.