Rise in number of children enjoying bedroom web access

There has been an increase in the number of children who have their own internet access, with around 30 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds having a broadband connection in their bedroom.

The UK Children's Media Literacy report from the broadband regulator Ofcom revealed this is an increase of over ten per cent on 2007 figures for this age group and it also found that most of these children surf the internet without adult supervision.

While the internet can be useful for researching homework assignments and features such as VoIP hardware can help users communicate with each other for free, 25 per cent of the children who have their own link are failing to take basic security precautions.

In response to the figures, Ofcom has published a new guide encouraging parents to talk to their children about their internet use, while also letting adults know how to ensure their children are using broadband safely.

The issue is likely to become more pertinent over the coming years as the government works towards its universal connectivity policy.