Parents should keep a close watch on what their children do on the Internet, psychiatrists said.
Their advice followed the release of a survey showing only 9.6 per cent of parents had installed software to prevent their children from accessing pornographic Web sites.
Conducted by Positive Living United Services - which provides psychiatric counselling - the survey examined how computer technology affected the personal growth of students.
The survey collected 1,451 questionnaires from six primary and secondary schools and interviewed parents of students in Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three.
It showed 45 per cent of Form Three students had surfed the Internet, on average spending 1.8 hours a day on-line during public holidays.
Dr Timothy Leung Tin-ming, chief executive of Positive Living, said parents should give their children guidance on how to use the Internet.
'Parents should not leave their children alone with their computers. They should know who they chat with and where they surf in order to prevent them getting access to obscene Web sites or getting mixed up with strangers,' he said.
