Facebook has overtaken Microsoft for the first time to become the second-most popular website in the UK, with use among members over the age of 50 having risen faster than any other age group, research firm Nielsen suggests.
People aged 50 and above logged onto social networks in greater numbers, giving Facebook the No 2 spot, reports from UKOM/Nielsen show.
Internet search giant Google clocked in 33.9m visits.
Facebook attracted a record 26.8m visitors in the UK, a 7pc year-on-year increase, surpassing the 26.2m people who visited the Microsoft-owned MSN/Bing/WindowsLive websites.
Microblogging site Twitter also saw more visitors, with a figure of 6.1m after thousands retweeted scandals involving celebrities, such as Manchester United football star Ryan Giggs and his super injunctions.
Business social network LinkedIn logged 3.6m hits in the UK, which is 57pc higher than last year.
Facebook use also increased elsewhere:
- 72pc in Germany
- 26pc in Italy
- 18pc in France
- 7pc in Spain
- 7pc in the US, with 140m visits
