Unsupervised teen net use rises

Older boys are the heaviest unsupervised users

More young people say they are browsing the internet without an adult looking over their shoulders.

At least half of those interviewed by the independent Schools Health Education Unit said they never had adult supervision.

And less than 8% said they never used the internet at all - down from about a quarter two years earlier.

The findings, to be published in a report called Young People in 2002, relate to 37,150 boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 15.

Statistically they were not a nationally representative sample. The unit's data come from hundreds of school surveys it supports each year, with a different combination of regions within the UK.

Nevertheless it is regarded as an authoritative snapshot of young people's attitudes.

'Dangers'

In answer to the question, "Are you able to browse the internet without adult supervision?" the latest figures show a sharp rise in the numbers saying they are never supervised.

For example, 53% of girls aged 12 or 13 said this in 2002, compared with 33% in 2000.

The unit's director, Dr David Regis, said the results were "striking".

"I would hope that people are aware of the dangers - predatory paedophiles, swindles and scams and all the rest of it," he said.

"Some children are at risk."

Educational tool

The boom in net use coincides with its near-universal adoption in schools as a result of massive government investment.

Children are now introduced to it - in a supervised way - even in primary schools and increasingly ask to use it at home.

A spokesman for the child protection charity the NSPCC said parents must be aware of the potential dangers.

"The internet can be a great educational tool for children but it can also lead them into dangerous situations," he said.

"Parents must be at the forefront of helping protect their children from sexual offenders who try to groom children in internet chatrooms.

"Contact is made in a chatroom which can escalate very quickly to mobile phones, text-messaging and eventually face-to-face contact."