Online shops stop boozing students

Students are being kept out of the pub

Parents are using online shopping to send food to their student children while they are revising - rather than giving them cash that might be spent on alcohol.

The trend, identified by Tesco's internet shopping service, has seen a sharp increase during the exam season in parents using the grocery delivery service for their children.

Instead of giving students money which could be spent on nights out, parents are sending food straight to students' homes and cutting out any temptation to divert the cash onto licensed premises.

And the type of food being ordered again reflects the efforts of parents to resist the traditional student take-away lifestyle with deliveries including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Stay at home students

In response, Tesco says it is considering setting up a customised virtual shopping basket specifically for parents buying food for student children.

This extension of parental control over students is the latest example of the changing culture of student life.

The abolition of grants has meant that many students are more financially reliant on their parents than the previous generation of students.

And an increasing number of students are saving money on accommodation by living at home through the three years of their degree courses.

"It seems young people can no longer look forward to leaving their mum at home when they go off to university," said Tesco.com's David Clements.