A Year Ago: Surfing in the UK is cool -- official

British teenagers are online at least three times a week according to research from UK ISP Global Internet, shattering forever the Net's 'geek only' image.

The online Internet survey looked at the surfing habits of over 2,000 parents and children and the message is -- families are embracing the cyber age.

For 80 percent of cyber-teens, the average time online -- up to an hour -- is not enough and 23 percent are sneaking off to friends' houses to spend more time surfing. Nearly two thirds of teenagers surveyed go online two or three times a week, with 18 percent hitting the Web daily.

Boys tend to be more frequent users than girls, with nearly a quarter claiming they need a daily fix. Last Thursday, Fletcher research published a report that said more teenage girls are using the Net than boys. Surprisingly, 82 percent of parents allow their children a free hand on the Net, with no software to control access to certain sites.

Games remain the most popular PC activity with 88 percent claiming it is the primary use of the computer. Homework comes in at second place (78 percent) with Internet surfing a close third at 70 percent.

What do you think? Tell the Mailroom. And read what others have said.