CHILDREN as young as eight around the south west region are giving out personal details to people they meet online.
The O2 phone company commissioned an NSPCC survey of 2,000 children aged eight to 13.
In this region, 31 per cent of the 146 children who took part said they had revealed personal information to other people online.
Social media profiles often included sensitive information like phone numbers and email addresses.
NSPCC local campaigns manager for the south west of England Julie Campbell said: "“It is vital parents think of the online world in the same way as the real world.
"They wouldn’t send their child on a school trip without checking where they are going and who they are going with. The same level of scrutiny should apply to any app or game their child is using.
"That’s why we continue to work with O2 to provide the latest information for parents about the most popular apps, sites and games their children are using - all at their fingertips on one website.”
The NSPCC launched a website to help parents talk to their children about using the internet.
Visit net-aware.org.uk
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