Young adults 'happiest when online'

Nearly half of the 1,000 young adults questioned in a survey said they were happiest when online, charity YouthNet has said.

The study also found that 75 per cent of people aged between 16 and 24 said that they couldn't live without the internet.

Life Support: Young People's Needs in a Digital Age was compiled with the help of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Lancaster University and found that the majority of respondents thought that the web was a safe place as long as you know what you're doing.

The government's Advisor for Children and Technology, Professor Tanya Byron, said: "This research illustrates the vital role the internet plays in the lives of young people.

"Far more than just a way to keep in touch - it, and its online population, have become a confidant for young people facing difficult, stressful or confusing times," Professor Byron continued.

The report comes after a separate survey commissioned by Virgin Media found that 75 per cent of Brits get stressed out if they can't get online.

And the UK's digital inclusion champion, Martha Lane Fox, set out her strategy for engaging with the estimate 10 million UK citizens who have never used the web this week.