Many Chinese teens feel most happy when they are surfing the Internet rather than spending time with family or friends, latest research on the country's post-90s generation has found.

Many Chinese teens feel most happy when they are surfing the Internet.[File photo]

The Shanghai Teenage Research Center polled 2,425 teens from elementary schools, junior high schools and senior high schools in the city to "explore the inner world" of those born between 1990 and 1999.

"We are always misunderstood by society," a number of the Shanghai teenagers in the study said.

The findings and responses were similar to the issues members of another age group had to face from older generations as they took their place in a changing society.

Members of the post-80s generation, or those born between 1980 and 1989, earlier bore the brunt of doubts expressed by older generations over their abilities and values in the face of modernity and commercialism.

Such skepticism has grown stronger toward the post-90s group, with criticisms found in media reports and the online community that label the young generation as an idle one.

An objective understanding of the post-90s group is necessary in light of these views, said Huang Hongji, a professor with the Shanghai Teenage Research Center who led the research project.

"Special attention should be paid to the emotional fluctuations of the teenagers. That is crucial," he said.

The changing environment of Shanghai, a modern metropolis with rapid social and economic development, is expected to further affect its teens.

Still, youngsters said the latest research results do not paint a completely accurate picture of today's teens.