As more families enjoy broadband at home, it has been revealed that over 25 per cent of those aged eight to 11 years old have a social networking profile, reports the BBC.

The research, undertaken by Ofcom, also showed that 49 per cent of the age group had a profile on a site such as MySpace, Facebook or Bebo - many of which claim to have a minimum usage age of 13.

Director of market research at Ofcom James Thickett explained: "Children's lives are very different from what they were 20 years ago. Social networks are a way of creating a social bond."

However, parents with children who use the broadband connection at their house may be interested to know that 43 per cent of young people say they are set no rules for social network use, which could mean their profile is visible to all.

Ofcom has called for guidelines which could mean privacy settings are easier to use and more visible for young people.

It was also shown that broadband, aside from socialising, can help with education. Earlier this year research by TalkTalk showed that 70 per cent of parents believe the internet helps their child's learning.


Thursday, 3rd April 2008

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