Six hours of TV or computer for kids

The computer is gradually taking over our lives, with around a third of people saying that they could not do without it, but for some it seems to be taking up more time than for others, especially young children and teenagers.

Recent research from ChildWise has found that teenagers are more likely to be social networking than doing homework online and with twenty five per cent of five year olds having computers in their rooms this trend is set to rise.

One in six children with access to the internet are regularly spending 1.7 hours online, 1.5 hours on games consoles and a further 2.7 hours watching the TV.

This does not leave much time for homework or anything else, considering the time that they get in from school.