Bhubaneswar, May 29: Youths here have left behind other cities when it comes to using social networking sites.

A recent survey conducted by Tata Consultancy Services has revealed that 92 per cent of Bhubaneswar's youths use social networking sites, the highest in the country.

The Gen Y Survey 2014-15 was conducted across 14 cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Calcutta, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune - with 12,365 high school students between the age group of 12 and 18 among respondents.

Lucknow and Kochi have come second and third, respectively, with figures of 88.6 per cent and 88.4 per cent.

While Facebook is the most popular social networking site among students (93 per cent), Twitter comes second in Bhubaneshwar and Lucknow.

For students, "staying connected with family" and "being part of communities (e.g. photography, football etc.)" are two of the most prominent reasons for using social networking sites.

Sports personalities, followed by other celebrities and filmstars, are the most trolled people on Twitter by students.

Almost half of the students reported parental monitoring of their online activities. Out of those who monitor, more than half also have access to their children's account.

The trend of online shopping is also catching up with the youngsters with about three-fourth of the students using the Internet for the purpose.

It was found that online shopping was relatively more popular among girls. The survey shows that 64 per cent of the online purchasers are those who buy books.

It also reveals that about six out of 10 respondents use FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangout and video chat.

WhatsApp was found to be the most popular instant messaging platform used by 52 per cent of the students.

However, usage among boys is much higher than that among girls.

Similarly, it was found that online resources are fairly popular among students in Bhubaneswar. Also, seven among every 10 students use television or newspapers to keep themselves updated with current affairs or news while 56 per cent use online resources.

Explaining the rationale behind the survey, a TCS official said: "The primary data for the survey was collected from the participants through a questionnaire at each of the locations. The purpose was to capture trends, pulse and adaptation of the youth to changing digital technology."

Gopika, a student, endorsed the TCS official's view.

"Minutes after our CBSE results were declared, my friends uploaded their marks on Facebook. These social networking sites are a great medium to share information or news with family or friends. However, we have to be careful about its content. Some may not be true," she said.

The primary data for the survey was collected from the participants using a questionnaire.

The purpose of the survey was to understand trends, pulse and adaptation of the youth to changing digital technology.