Teachers should place 'barriers on pupils internet use'

Teachers and parents should establish some barriers to children's internet use, although there are no age restrictions on when a child can go online, it has been claimed.

In comments that may be of interest to those in teaching jobs, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) has reminded schools that they should have barriers to inappropriate material in place as standard.

Research from Ofcom revealed that although 49 per cent of children aged eight to 17-years-old have a social networking profile, 33 per cent of parents do not set any rules over their use while 16 per cent do not know if their child's profile is visible to everyone.

Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the NUT, commented: "Technological controls are needed to prevent the inappropriate use of the internet. There [are] a whole set of barriers against access to pornography and violent sites."

However, Ms Blower also said that it is important for pupils to have access to the technology from an early age, although they should use it for more than just playing games.