Report: New Generation Being Raised Online

London, U.K. (AHN) - A report revealed that the new generation is being "raised online", greatly exposed to online social websites such as MySpace and Facebook.

The report, by the Institute for Public Policy Research, said that today's teenagers, most between 12 and 15 years old, are on social network websites for an average of 20 hours per week.

The dependence on new technology is also evident, said the report, as teenagers sleep with their cell phones turned on, with them not willing to miss any text messages that might come in during the night.

In light of the data, the report, entitled "Behind the Screen: the Hidden Life of Youth", forwarded concerns regarding security, as it indicated that parents are unaware of heir childrens' actual online activities.

Britain's Sky News reported that according to the gathered data, 57 percent of children have been exposed to online pornography, some due to pop-up advertisements and junk mail, also known as spam. Roles for the government were also brought up, as the study urged more active online safety rules.

"The Internet offers great benefits and opportunities for young people," said Kay Withers, IPPR researcher and report author. "But with kids spending an ever-increasing amount of time online, parents need to be reassured about what they are looking at."

She also suggested media literacy programs be given children, as well as more encouragement for parents to be more positively involved in their children's online life.

"But more importantly," the Press Association quoted her, "Internet companies need to take more responsibility for the content on their sites and promote acceptable behavior."

The research is expected to be published next month, following a 2007 study on children and new technology.