It is of the upmost importance that parents engage with their children regarding the key issues of internet technology, it has been asserted.

Will Gardner, the chief executive officer at Childnet International, explained that many parents and teachers are feeling increasingly left behind by children and students who use such technology, though they should put themselves in a better position to be able to dish out IT support.

Emphasising the lack of need to go on a course or pay for the information, he said: "It can be on the internet, there are websites that have this information, or there are some resources that are free to order that you can get to help you.

"That is a very important message to get out."

It follows research from Cyber Sentinel earlier in the year, which found that the average teenager spends 31 hours online each week.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).