Youngsters Using Internet To Source Worrying Material

9 February 2009

The average teenager spends an astonishing 31 hours online each week, according to new research by cybersentinel.co.uk. And more than eight hours are spent browsing soft porn, cosmetic surgery, dieting and weight loss, family planning and emotional support websites.

The shocking poll of 1,000 teenagers revealed that in addition to using the internet for homework and research they are also finding out about more emotional and sensational topics.

At least one hour and 40 minutes a week - that's just under 87 hours a year - is spent looking at soft porn. A further one hour and 35 minutes is spent surfing dieting and weight loss websites and forums. And another hour and eight minutes is dedicated to exploring cosmetic surgery websites, to learn about boob jobs, bum lifts and collagen implants.

Ellie Puddle, Marketing Director of CyberSentinel said: "The alarming thing about this research is that it shows that teenagers are obviously exploring all sorts of topics as a result of modern-day pressures. For instance, pressure to emulate celebrity standards of beauty is resulting in teens spending a significant amount of time researching cosmetic surgery. The research has also found that they're viewing information on contraceptives and pregnancy and sex as well as weight loss. And for some reason they find it easier to go online to conduct their research than asking mum and dad for advice.

"Using the internet to research topics which are difficult to talk about is fine, but parents should agree and set boundaries to protect their children from accessing inappropriate material."

The poll revealed teenagers spend at least three hours and 10 minutes a week researching topics for their homework, and another one hour and 40 minutes downloading or listening to music.A further two hours and two minutes is spent looking at funny clips on YouTube, whilst an hour and 22 minutes is spent scouring NHS direct or other health websites for information about illnesses, puberty and growing pains.

Chatrooms, forums, MSN, and social networking sites such as Facebook also play an important role in the average life of a teenager, who can spend up to nine hours a week chatting to friends and new acquaintances. One in four teenagers admit they regularly talk to strangers online, and think it is completely harmless.

Ellie Puddle said: "Talking to friends on social networking websites can be completely risk-free good fun for teenagers. But there is also the danger of meeting strangers in these forums who
aren't browsing the sites to 'make friends'. In many cases these 'online predators' are scouring the web for impressionable friendly young people to talk to, and in time, meet face to face. Teenagers and parents need to realise the dangers of talking to strangers online but parents must not over-react by denying access to the internet. The internet is a fantastic resource for learning and development.

"Talking to your child about safe boundaries, agreeing what is acceptable and installing an e-safety package such as CyberSentinel with ongoing monitoring allows parents to guide their children safely in the same way they do in the offline world."

The most common venue for teenagers to surf the web is the bedroom (33 per cent), followed by their parent's study or living room (27 per cent). But 13 to 19 year-olds readily admit they are left alone with the computer for up to two hours a day, that's 14 hours a week.

An hour of this time is spent looking at emotional support sites such as The Samaritans; another hour and 15 minutes is spent on dating websites and a further hour and a half on auction websites. And for an hour and 55 minutes teenagers are creating online personas on virtual world sites such as Second Life.

Two thirds of teenagers say their parents have spoken with them about what they should and shouldn't look at online.And 45 per cent will talk to their parents if they are worried about anything they have accidentally accessed - such as self harming, drugs, knife crime or sex. But a third have also admitted to hiding some of the websites they have been visiting from their parents.

Breakdown of the average teenager's time online each week:

Downloading music -1 hour 40 minutes

YouTube - 2 hours 2 minutes

MSN - 3 hours 29 minutes

Chatrooms - 2 hours 5 minutes

Virtual World sites - 1 hour 55 minutes

Homework / research - 3 hours 10 minutes

Shopping - 1 hour 49 minutes

Auction sites - 1 hour 28 minutes

Cosmetic surgery - 1 hour 8 minutes

Soft porn - 1 hour 40 minutes

Dieting / weight loss - 1 hour 35 minutes