The internet has overtaken television as the main source of news for Americans under 30 for the first time, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Since 2007, the percentage of 18- to 29-year-olds naming the internet as their main source for national and international news has nearly doubled, going from 34 per cent to 65 per cent, while television has dropped from 68 per cent to 52 per cent.

Some of the numbers cited in the survey add up to more than 100 per cent because respondents could choose up to two main sources from media including the internet, television, newspapers and radio.

The national survey also claims that the internet is "slowly closing in" on television overall, with 41 per cent answering that they get most of their news online, an increase of 17 per cent since 2007.

The survey, which was conducted in December last year with 1,500 adults also found that more people continue to cite the internet as a main source over newspapers.

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