Nearly three quarters of children under the age of five use the internet every day, many unsupervised, an alarming study suggests。
As many as 72 percent of pre-school children are lured online on a daily basis by sites such as the BBC's Cbeebies and games like Peppa Pig, the research reveals。
Many parents are allowing their under-fives to explore the web without supervision, leaving them vulnerable to predatory pedophiles。
Child safety experts have reacted with horror, drawing attention to the dangers young web users face。
The alarming revelations also triggered warnings that frequent young surfers may struggle with their learning。
It is feared that spending so much time online will mean they lack reading and writing skills, and scientists believe the glare from the screen may damage the brain development of young children。
Professor Tanya Byron, a clinical psychologist, said leaving a five-year-old unsupervised on the internet is equivalent to "abandoning a kid in a shopping center for a couple of hours"。
She warned: "Parents don't realize they have a responsibility to prepare children for the online world as much as for the real world。
A lot of parents haven't been brought up on the internet and don't know its dangers。"
Michele Elliott, founder of children's safety charity Kidscape, said families need educating, adding: "Parents don't realize that predatory pedophiles are trawling the internet, seeking to ensnare young children."
However many adults seem to think they already know the pitfalls facing young web users, with 88 percent of parents surveyed saying they were 'confident' they understood internet safety issues。
Dr Shirley Atkinson, who analyzed the research data, said many parents appear to hold a false belief that they understand the web, while leaving their children unsupervised or failing to install rigorous safeguards。
The study, conducted by Plymouth Council, surveyed the internet habits of 423 under-fives, with an average age of four。
It found 305 used the internet every day, often unsupervised。
The most used sites were CBeebies and Peppa Pig online games, according to the research。
一项调查研究警告说如今约有四分之三五岁以下的孩子每天都上网，而且大多没有大人陪伴。
此项研究显示，多达72%的学龄前儿童每天都上网，观看BBC早期儿童教育频道或玩《粉红猪小妹》这样的在线游戏。
许多父母任由不到五岁的孩子上网，而且不予监管，这给了许多恋童癖的人以可乘之机。
该研究发现让儿童安全导师如坐针毡，呼吁大家重视儿童上网的可能面临的危险，并警示儿童经常上网可能导致学习问题。他们担心上网时间太长会影响儿童读写的能力，科学家们认为长时间看屏幕会破坏儿童脑部发育。
临床心理学家塔尼亚•拜伦教授称孩子上网不予监管等同于“把孩子丢在商场里几个小时”。
她警告说：“家长们没有认识到他们有责任让孩子适应真实世界，也有责任让他们适应网络世界。”
“许多父母小时候没有上过网，不知道其中的隐患。”
儿童安全慈善机构儿童港湾的创建者米歇尔•艾略特说每个家庭都需要教育孩子。“家长怕是没意识到邪恶的恋童癖们就潜伏在网络，意图对儿童图谋不轨。”
然而许多成人自认为了解孩子上网的各种危险，调查显示88%的父母“很自信”地以为了解网络安全问题。
雪莉•阿特金森博士分析了研究数据，然而说许多父母都自以为了解网络而对孩子上网不予监管，或者未采取严格的安全保障措施。
此项研究由普利茅斯委员会发起，调查了423名五岁以下儿童的上网习惯，他们平均年龄为四岁。
结果显示305名孩子每天都上网，而且无人监管。
研究发现他们最点击的网站是BBC早期儿童教育频道和《粉红猪小妹》游戏在线。
