ONLY one in four parents in Scotland has controls on their internet access to stop children viewing harmful content, a new report has found.

Scottish parents appear less concerned about online risks than the rest of the UK, where more than a third of parents limit their children’s access to the internet, according to the Ofcom watchdog.

The danger of unrestricted internet access for children has been highlighted in recent years, with the UK’s online child protection agency, CEOP, logging more than 6000 reports from concerned users last year.

Another report found that many children who illegally download files have been exposed to sexually explicit or offensive material.

However, the new report from Ofcom, published yesterday, showed that just over 25% of parents in Scotland with children aged from five to 15 and internet access at home have parental controls. This compared to the UK average of 37%.

Seven in 10 parents questioned in Scotland for the Media Literacy in the Nations report thought the benefits of the internet outweighed the risks involved for their children.

In addition, 81% of Scottish parents felt confident they knew enough themselves to help their children stay safe online. They were less concerned than parents elsewhere in the UK about online risks.

Scottish parents are more likely to say they are “not at all” concerned about who their child is in contact with online, that their children might give out personal details to inappropriate people, that their child may be bullied online or that their child might download viruses or other harmful software.

Last night Vicki Nash, the director of Ofcom Scotland, said: “Parents in Scotland are less likely to have controls in place on the internet for their children.

“Our data shows that they seem to be more relaxed about digital communications content in general, reporting lower levels of concern over their children’s use of mobile phones, TV and gaming.

“But parents report feeling as confident about keeping their child safe online as parents in the UK, so it’s perhaps that they choose not to do so.”

The report also finds that children in Scotland are less likely than other children in the UK to have access to the internet at home either through a PC or a laptop -- 79% compared with 87% in the rest of the UK.

However, those who use the internet spend as much time online as any children in the UK, at an average of 11.4 hours per week.

Children in Scotland are also less likely to use the internet at least weekly for schoolwork or homework -- 52% compared to 67% -- or for news -- 7% compared to 15%.

However, more than half of all children who use the internet at home in Scotland now use it weekly for social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter, compared with 39% in 2009.

The Media Literacy in the Nations report involved interviews with 256 adults and 286 children in Scotland. Ms Nash added: “Children who have access to the internet at home use it just as much as children in the other nations.

“But Scotland has the lowest take-up of home internet of any of the UK nations, so this impacts on children’s use at home. It’s a good example of the digital divide -- and Glasgow’s take-up, at 53%, is the lowest of any UK city.

“It’s worth noting that the Scottish Government have committed to improving take-up in their strategy on a digital future for Scotland.”

The report also found that children in Scotland would miss their games consoles more than the internet and TV, and use their mobile phones more than children in the rest of the UK.

Five to 15-year-olds make around 20 calls on their mobile phones per week, which is higher than the UK average.