Teach responsible web use when young, says NUT

17th April 2008

Children should learn from an early age how to use the internet to their benefit, it has been claimed.

The acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Christine Blower, said that young people should be introduced from an early age to methods of using the web responsibly.

She was speaking after research from Ofcom found that 49 per cent of people between the ages of eight and 17 have an online profile.

Bebo was used by 63 per cent of these people, with MySpace the choice for 37 per cent and Facebook used by 18 per cent.

Ms Blower pointed out that digital resources can be useful for children, but that they must be balanced with non computer-based activities.

"It's important to introduce technology at an early age - it's actually what kind of technology kids use," the NUT representative asserted.

She added that the internet should be "introduced for a purpose and made fun".