The majority of children worry about being targeted by strangers over the internet, it has been revealed.

A study published by the National Centre for Technology in Education found that 76 per cent of youngsters would not like to be contacted online by a person they do not know.

According to the Irish Times, a total of 860 children were surveyed across 37 schools.

Despite a fear of strangers, the poll revealed that many kids are still willing to post details about themselves on social networking sites such as Bebo and Facebook.

Of those surveyed, 36 per cent said they would put their date of birth online, while 32 per cent are happy to post their email addresses.

Speaking last year, Will Gardner, chief executive of Childnet International, said parents should make an effort to learn about the internet themselves and engage with their children on the subject social networking.

Written by Donal Walsh

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