Most parents trust their children to surf the Web sensibly and believe it makes a positive contribution to their education.

Just over three quarters of parents said they trusted their child to use the Internet wisely and believed it helped their education, a MORI poll for Reader's Digest has revealed.

However, parents do have concerns about the dangers their children may be exposed to online.

Nearly half worried about their children accessing violent or sexually explicit material. And 43 per cent were concerned about who their children might meet through chat rooms.

But nearly all parents (96 per cent) were convinced that their child has never been upset or distressed as a result of something they had seen on the Internet and 98 per cent said their children had never bought anything they could not pay for.

About half supervised their children most or all of the time while they were on the Net and most parents have heeded warnings about allowing their children PCs connected to the Internet in their bedrooms where supervision is difficult.

Only 20 per cent of children could log on from their bedroom with the majority gaining access via communal family areas such as a study/office (30 per cent), living room (23 per cent) or a dining room (16 per cent).

Nearly 90 per cent said they did not believe their children were less physically active as a result of using the Net and a nine out of ten parents said their children were no less sociable.

Very few parents felt their child spent too much time online. Two thirds spent less than two hours a week on the Net compared with the 21 hours a week most youngsters spend watching TV. Only two per cent spent 11 to 20 hours a week logged on.

Reader's Digest editor-in-chief Russell Twisk said: "The survey shows that parents feel their children's use of the Internet is innocent enough.

"Unlike America where local calls are free, phone charges in the UK explain why British users spend less time than their US counterparts do surfing the Net.

"Although half the parents polled are concerned about the dangers lurking on the Net, the vast majority are very positive about the Internet's benefits."

MORI approached 2,000 adults throughout Britain. Among those, 199 parents with children aged 6 to 14 years who use the Internet, were interviewed. The results are reported in the September issue of Reader's Digest.