Survey confirms children avid internet-users

According to the study by research firm Gemius, over two million Polish children between the ages of 7 and 12 use the internet, making up 9.4 percent of the country's online community.

Most popular among those in the 7 to 12 age bracket are sites providing entertainment aimed at children, as well as portals with online games.

The Gemius study found that 45 percent of people who visit sites with computer games are indeed children between the ages of 7 and 12.

Psychologist Dr Lucyna Kirwil, who coordinated the Polish wing of the study EU Kids Online, has stressed that some types of games are especially draining for children, for example games that involve building a castle or farm, as these require constant updating.

“Children get very dependent on such games, leading to such effects as sitting for hours at the computer, even at the expense of sleep,” she told the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Kirwil likewise noted that gambling games can be addictive.

“There are cases of children playing such games for weeks, winning and losing,” she claimed.

“This is something that we are only dimly aware of.” (nh)