Almost half of British children would be "sad" if they could not use the internet, a new survey has shown.
Consumer research company Intersperience revealed that 49 per cent of people under the age of 12 said they would feel sadness without access to the web, while one in five claimed they would be lonely.
Paul Hudson, chief executive of the firm, said the findings are evidence that many children in the UK have formed a "strong emotional attachment" to the internet.
He added: "It is perfectly natural for a generation whose social life is largely online. It's equivalent to taking a phone away from older people, they'd feel sad and lonely too."
The research was conducted as part of the Digital Futures project, which asked 1,000 people aged between eight and 18 about how digital technology affects their lives.
A study published by online security firm AVG in November 2011 revealed that one in ten UK parents with offspring aged between ten and 13 believe their child knows more about the internet than they do.
Consumer research company Intersperience revealed that 49 per cent of people under the age of 12 said they would feel sadness without access to the web, while one in five claimed they would be lonely.
Paul Hudson, chief executive of the firm, said the findings are evidence that many children in the UK have formed a "strong emotional attachment" to the internet.
He added: "It is perfectly natural for a generation whose social life is largely online. It's equivalent to taking a phone away from older people, they'd feel sad and lonely too."
The research was conducted as part of the Digital Futures project, which asked 1,000 people aged between eight and 18 about how digital technology affects their lives.
A study published by online security firm AVG in November 2011 revealed that one in ten UK parents with offspring aged between ten and 13 believe their child knows more about the internet than they do.
http://www.computeach.co.uk/IT-news/Web-Internet-News/IT-industry-news-UK-children-would-be-sad-without-internet-access/801278593