E-learning courses might help kids understand internet security

E-learning programmes could prove to be an invaluable tool to parents, as one expert has suggested children need to be educated on the dangers surrounding internet security.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said mums and dads need to teach their offspring ways they can stay secure when surfing the web and this could be achieved via a distance learning course.

Parents should put the computer their kids use in a communal room, because they can then keep an eye on what sites their children are visiting.

"It will be much easier to monitor what your child is doing online and making sure they are not getting up to anything that you don't really want them to do," Mr Cluley added.

According to a report commissioned by life assistance firm CCP, children are spending around £64 a year online without their parents' permission.

One-in-seven purchases made by kids aged between seven and 16 are done without their mums and dads knowledge.