Many young people believe they could be addicted to using the internet, according to research.
A new study reveals high numbers of youngsters take gadgets such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, to bed with them, using them to talk to friends, browse websites and play games.
The findings come as a new charter drawn up by the Tablets for Schools charity was published to encourage children to use the internet wisely.
It suggests young people should resist the temptation to take their device to bed and not use them as alarm clocks, set time limits on how long they use devices and “unplug” themselves at set points in the day or week.
The charity’s survey, which questioned more than 2,000 11 to 17-year-olds, found around two-fifths of those questioned said they “sometimes think they are addicted to the internet”. And nearly two-thirds of pupils said they took their gadget to bed with them.
One 11-year-old girl said: “I can never get off it.”
Another youngster, a 12-year-old girl, said: “The internet nearly always controls my actions.
“I have been told that I am addicted to the internet. I feel lost without the internet.”
And a third pupil said: “If I had no wi-fi I would have no life.”
The poll found that girls were more likely to say they sometimes felt they were addicted to the internet.
It suggested that girls spent more time on social networks while boys said they spent more time playing games.
Tablets for Schools chairman and chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, Andrew Harrison, said: “Previous Tablets for Schools research shows 81% of teachers said they saw a dramatic and positive change in the pedagogical learning of pupils. So we know about the incredible force for good tablets are.
“But this charter of guidance from pupils themselves is invaluable. Boundaries can help maintain a healthy relationship with the internet.”