标题: 调查：四分之三的五岁幼童每天都上网 [打印本页] 作者: 加热 时间: 2011-3-4 11:04 标题: 调查：四分之三的五岁幼童每天都上网 Nearly three quarters of children under the age of five use the internet every day, many unsupervised, an alarming study suggests。
As many as 72 percent of pre-school children are lured online on a daily basis by sites such as the BBC's Cbeebies and games like Peppa Pig, the research reveals。
Many parents are allowing their under-fives to explore the web without supervision, leaving them vulnerable to predatory pedophiles。
Child safety experts have reacted with horror, drawing attention to the dangers young web users face。
The alarming revelations also triggered warnings that frequent young surfers may struggle with their learning。
It is feared that spending so much time online will mean they lack reading and writing skills, and scientists believe the glare from the screen may damage the brain development of young children。
Professor Tanya Byron, a clinical psychologist, said leaving a five-year-old unsupervised on the internet is equivalent to "abandoning a kid in a shopping center for a couple of hours"。
She warned: "Parents don't realize they have a responsibility to prepare children for the online world as much as for the real world。
A lot of parents haven't been brought up on the internet and don't know its dangers。"
Michele Elliott, founder of children's safety charity Kidscape, said families need educating, adding: "Parents don't realize that predatory pedophiles are trawling the internet, seeking to ensnare young children."
However many adults seem to think they already know the pitfalls facing young web users, with 88 percent of parents surveyed saying they were 'confident' they understood internet safety issues。
Dr Shirley Atkinson, who analyzed the research data, said many parents appear to hold a false belief that they understand the web, while leaving their children unsupervised or failing to install rigorous safeguards。
The study, conducted by Plymouth Council, surveyed the internet habits of 423 under-fives, with an average age of four。
It found 305 used the internet every day, often unsupervised。
The most used sites were CBeebies and Peppa Pig online games, according to the research。