Tablets, smartphones account for 20 percent of US web traffic

The use of web-enabled mobile devices, like smartphones and tablet computers, is actively growing, and according to a study from online ad network Chitika, these gadgets now account for 20 percent of web traffic in the United States and Canada.

The study, as reported by technology news provider All Things D, finds that smartphones make up 14.6 percent of today's web traffic, while tablets account for 5.6 percent. Laptop and desktop computers, however, still represent the lion's share with 80 percent of the US and Canadian web traffic.

According to Chitika, mobile web traffic tends to spike in the evening. All Things D notes this is when people generally turn off their traditional PCs after work. Rather than disconnect completely, however, people tend to engage with their mobile devices, whether it's on the commute home or while sitting on the couch.

This certainly isn't the first report to highlight the growing mobile web. As tablet computers and smartphones continue to become more popular, experts predict many web browsing habits will change in drastic ways, affecting how people watch TV, shop and interact with one another.