Web 'changing family life'

The lives of families in the UK have been completely changed by the internet and the abundance of gadgets and other electronic devices in the average home.

BT's Digital Living report for 2006 suggests that digital play, rather than outdoor play, is becoming the norm for the nation's children. Each household in the UK now has an average of 2.6 computers and/or games consoles, compared to 2.5 bicycles.

“We’ve never seen a change in the family dynamic in quite the way we’ve seen with computers and the internet – particularly with the advent of broadband.

"The fact that homes now have more computers than things like bikes also highlights an interesting shift in the social, rather than just the family dynamic,” said Sue Caroll of counselling service 7 basic needs.

Fifty-seven per cent of parents questioned in the survey said that they believed internet access had improved their children's school work. Nearly half of parents use email as the primary means of communication with family members who live far away and many believe that communication is more immediate and more frequent as a result, according to BT.

Emma Sanderson of BT Retail said: “People, particularly children, are increasingly using the internet to keep in touch and share information like diaries, video and photographs, no matter where they are in the world.”

http://www.7basicneeds.com/
http://www.bt.com/

More news via RSS Post item to Del.icio.us Post item to Digg.com