The Children's Society: Young people using internet more frequently

09:56 16th February 2009

Young people are using the internet more frequently as parents have placed more restrictions on how much time they can spend outdoors, according to the Children's Society.

Tim Linehan, director of campaigns and media for the organisation, said that parents are more cautious about letting their children outdoors owing to perceptions regarding the dangers of the modern world.

As a result, children and young people are spending more time indoors and developing their social activities around the internet.

Mr Linehan said: "There's more traffic, there's more fear and therefore it's not surprising that children are staying indoors and seeking entertainment in their house."

He added that many young people complained that there was nowhere to go even when they were allowed out, making staying in all the more likely.

Spending more time on the internet and growing familiar with computers from an earlier age could encourage more people to pursue IT careers or further computer training.

New research from Cyber Sentinel shows that teenagers look at soft porn on the internet for nearly 90 hours every year.