One in five teenagers has met someone face-to-face whom they first encountered on the internet, according to research into the risks taken by young people online.

The study found that teenagers also freely hand out personal information to strangers. Details divulged include full name (30 per cent), address (12 per cent), mobile number (20 per cent) and where they go to school (46 per cent), while 9 per cent had posted family photos…

The study found that parents are often ignorant about what their children are up to, with only a fraction aware that they are befriending strangers.

Although nine out of ten parents questioned said that they monitored their children’s online activities, more than half the teenagers questioned admitted to going online without their parents’ knowledge, usually late at night.

John Carr, the Government’s adviser on online safety for children, said that girls were particularly at risk. “The most vulnerable group are girls between the ages of 12 and 15 who are going through puberty and becoming interested in boys and relationships,” he said. “You only need to listen to the news to see how common it is for girls to be lured into meetings.” …

Tom Ilube, chief executive of Garlik, urged parents to hammer home lessons on internet safety.

“Our research is a shocking wake-up call to all parents in the UK to sit down with their children and talk about how to keep safe online,” he said…

Source:TIMES ONLINE
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article1862533.ece