Tiny tots log into their own computers

Three per cent of children aged three or four have a computer in their bedrooms and one percent has their own internet connection, according to a report [PDF] by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

It is the equivalent of 91 children aged three-to-four out of a sample size of over 3000.

But at least 65 per cent of households with children aged three or four have a computer and internet connection somewhere in the home. And 40 percent of children that age use a computer at home for an average of seven minutes per day, the report said.

The activities of three-to-four year olds on their computers wasn't measured, but for the above age group of seven to eight years - of which one in ten has their own computer in their room - most played games, used it for homework or general web surfing.

The activities changed as children get older. From 12-to-14 years and above, about half use their computers and the internet for homework or to chat online.

About one in five 15-to-17 year olds has their own PCs. They spend almost two-and-a-half hours a day on it, the report said.

The difficulty of managing what children do with their computers and internet connections is affected by age.

Parents of younger children were more likely to find it "very easy" to manage their internet connections, but at least a fifth of parents with teenagers found managing the connections a lot tougher.