ITWire

As part of the survey, 65 per cent of parents reported that social networking is frequently or occasionally distracting their children from their homework and a quarter of respondents estimated that their 10 - 17 year old child spent at least 7 hours per week on social networking sites.

"You wouldn't let your kids stay out socialising with their friends until all hours on a school night, but that is exactly what they are doing online, often right under their parents' noses," cyber-safety expert Dr Martyn Wild, Managing Director of SuperClubsPLUS Australia said. "The answer is not turning off internet access, rather it's about implementing simple behavioural changes in your children and setting realistic expectations about their use of the internet.

"But with older students, parents and carers will need to develop the trust for these students to exercise their own judgements about balancing online 'play' and 'work' sensibly and responsibly."

Dr Wild continues, "You can't stress the importance of Internet safety enough really.  Particularly for children who are around 12 to 13 that don't have a real understanding of the risks they are taking online when they are doing things which they should not be. 

"Talk to your child every day - not every second or every third day - about what they are doing online.

"The more you know about the sites your children are visiting and the more you know about what they're doing online.  The more you know about your friends online, the more you can provide responsible advice to your child," he said.