Northern Irelands Web Users Are More Wary

19 May 2010

Ofcom's latest research shows that people from Northern Ireland are the most cautious in the UK in regards to trusting the internet and entering personal information about themselves online.

The study has also found that adults from NI were less likely to have a profile on any social networking sites.

56 per cent of parents of children between 5 and 15 did not believe that the benefit of the internet outweighed the risk involved.

Not only this but according to the study parents in NI are more strict with their children about television watching. 90 per cent of parents in Northern Ireland have rules about television viewing compared to just 80 per cent elsewhere.

However, research suggests that both children and adults from Northern Ireland are more attached to their mobile phones than people from England, Scotland or Ireland.

38 per cent of adults in Northern Ireland access their internet on thei mobile phones while only 28 per cent do so elsewhere. However this study has proved conclusively that trust in the internet still lags in NI compared to the rest of the UK.

Director of Ofcom, Denis Wolinski stated: "We understand people's concerns, but used safely and sensibly, the internet can offer huge benefits and opportunities technology while at the same time helping them to avoid potential pitfalls."

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