Many parents have little idea of what their children are up to while using the internet, according to broadband provider TalkTalk.

The company's research found that while the average child spends over two hours a day online, one in four claim their guardians have no knowledge of what they are up to.

In addition, they say that parents would disapprove of around 28 per cent of their activity, while 62 per cent of youngsters even claim to lie about their online behaviour.

Professor Tanya Byron said the TalkTalk study highlighted that many adults are "deeply ignorant" about their children's online activity.

She added: "After all, the internet is a human creation, populated by people, and in this sense it's no more or less inherently dangerous than the outside world."

TalkTalk recently launched its new Magic Desktop, a free software program that allows parents to introduce the internet to young children in a fun and secure way.