Young people are happier online says report

Nearly a third, or 32%, agreed with the statement 'I can access all the information I need online, there is no need to speak to a real person about my problems."
Four in five, or 82%, said they had used the internet to look for advice and information for themselves and 60% had for other people.
A further 37% said that they would use the internet to give advice to others on sensitive issues.
The internet was more important than other forms of advice for support on issues related to sex and drugs, the report found.
More than three quarters, or 76%, said that the internet ensured their friends were available 'whenever they need them' with an equal proportion viewing the internet as a safe place as "long as you know what you are doing."
But report author Professor Michael Hulme warned there was a need for more guidance and support for the vulnerable "in-between group" of 16 and 17-year-olds, who may be at risk of "over confidence" as they feel under pressure to take on the responsibilities of adulthood.
His report identifies the under 25 generation as the so-called "digital natives" who have highly developed visual spatial skills and have been surrounded by computers, the internet, mobile phones and digital video games since a pre-school age.
This group communicates in more advanced ways than older generations, leading "hybrid lives" where the internet plays a critical role.
The findings on happiness online come in spite of rising concerns about the possible social pressures placed on teenagers by social networking sites.
Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of Catholics in England and Wales said in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph earlier this year that social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace encouraged teenagers to build "transient relationships" that can leave them traumatised and even suicidal when they collapse.
Last month, it was reported that 15-year-old schoolgirl Holly Grogan - who was found dead under a bridge in the Gloucestershire - had received abusive messages on her Facebook page.
YouthNet chief executive Fiona Dawe said: "This timely report is an essential read for any youth policy maker, parent or teacher.

"The incredible speed in which communication methods are changing means that young people are trailblazing new ways to converse that many of my generation struggle to understand.

"With the huge number of unregulated and unmoderated websites, blogs, networks and groups that exist online, the need for a safe, trusted place has never been greater, which is why YouthNet will be taking the insights of this report to heart as we plan the future of our services."

Professor Hulme, of the Institute for Advanced Studies, at Lancaster University, said: "For young people, the internet is part of the fabric of their world and does not exist in isolation from the physical world, rather it operates as a fully integrated element.

"In the future as access becomes ever more mobile, multi-platform, faster and with richer media - in other words ever on and everywhere - the need and demand for advice through the internet will become even more critical."

:: The report findings coincide with a fundraising appeal by YouthNet to help redevelop its website, www.TheSite.org, providing advice and information to young people.