X
Home & Office

A Year Ago: British parents see Internet's corrupting influence

One in three British parents see the Internet as more corrupting than either television or films, according to the latest research from the National Opinion Poll
Written by Will Knight, Contributor

The survey -- conducted on behalf of computer security firm Symantec -- finds that on average half the time British children spend online is without parental supervision. Despite the lack of monitoring, parents claim to be concerned about what their offspring are getting up to online.

Thirty-eight percent believe the Internet to be a more dangerous influence on their children's moral wellbeing than television and film with 70 percent horrified at the prospect of children viewing "undesirable content". The findings bear out earlier surveys done by NUA Internet Surveys which found that a third of children online had found content that upset or embarrassed them, with over half describing the content as "rude".

"As a parent myself, I understand the concerns regarding children accessing the Internet," says Symantec's UK managing director Aled Miles. "The sad thing is that there are unsavoury characters out there that use the Internet for illegal purposes, whether it be hacking into personal computers, publishing undesirable content or using seemingly innocuous Web site addresses for blatantly unsalubrious activities."

Take me to the Web of Porn Special

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

Editorial standards