The research shows that technology and the internet have improved people’s lives by making it easier to gather information (76 per cent), saving time with chores with services like online banking (65 per cent), and improving communication (40 per cent). More than half of parents that were interviewed (57 per cent) also believed that the internet has helped their children’s school grades.

The research showed that 45 per cent of UK parents now use email as the primary means of communication with family members who live far away and half believe that communication is more immediate (54 per cent) and more frequent (47 per cent) as a result.

It also highlighted that two thirds (63 per cent) of parents in the UK believed technology meant that they would be less anxious if a family member said they were moving away and that it made the sadness of children leaving home easier to bear.

Emma Sanderson, director of Value Added Services, BT Retail said: “We are living in a broadband age and people, particularly children, are increasingly using the internet to keep in touch and share information like diaries, video and photographs, no matter where they are in the world. This expands their horizons immeasurably, allowing them to meet people and access resources across the globe.”