HAVING the Internet at home is bliss, but having children who can't seem to get offline, is obviously not.

This phenomenon is happening everywhere across the globe.

In some countries, the situation is turning from bad to worse.

In Britain, for example, the rise of the so-called "raised online" generation of children is getting parents and child experts more concerned than ever.

These are kids who spend more than 20 hours a week online, most of it at social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and Bebo.

According to a survey from the Institute for Public Policy Research, four out of five children aged five to 15 in Britain have access to the Internet at home, with 40 per cent of eight- to 11-year-olds and 71 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds saying they browse the Web on their own. A bigger concern is that contact with some form of online pornography was reported by 57 per cent.

Addressing Net addiction among kids is a big challenge these days, and parents need to do a lot more to monitor their Internet activities to help them gain more positive online experiences.

The explosion in social networking sites, which allow users to chat online and exchange personal details and photographs, has highlighted the need for scrutiny. This is more so with the increase in content that are considered harmful on the Internet, and also the presence of people who roam the cyberspace with bad intentions.

Having said that, it is encouraging to hear a number of online social networking sites are doing their bit to help make the Internet a safer place for users, especially the young ones.

MySpace, for example, has agreed to set up new security measures in an effort to protect children online, and rid the Internet of inappropriate images such as pornography.

Facebook, which is also popular among the youth, meanwhile, has introduced new privacy measures, which include privacy controls based on friend lists.

And search engine company Google recently unveiled a Web site featuring tips to protect children online. The effort is designed to protect kids in the wake of a proliferation of sexual material on the Internet and the occasional predator.

Hopefully, all these measures and guidelines will help to create a safer place for children to work and play in cyberspace.

But it should not make parents less vigilant, and allowing the Internet to take their place to nurture and raise their kids.