Children can use PCs but can’t tie shoelaces or tell the time

A SURVEY of primary schoolchildren in Britain found they are better at working computers than telling the time or tying their shoelaces.

Almost nine in 10 (86%) five- to seven-year-olds can operate a computer, with 97% able to play a computer game, according to a poll. But just over half (56%) can tell the time, while less than a third (32%) can tie their own shoelaces, it found.

Under two-thirds (60%) can ride a two-wheeled bike.

The Kelkoo poll questioned 1,057 parents about their children’s use of technology.

The results show that almost half of parents (47%) say their child has access to internet-enabled devices.

More than one in five (21%) admit they never use the parental controls on these gadgets.

About one in 12 (8%) say they never research whether the items they buy their children are age appropriate, while over a third (35%) said they only sometimes do so.

While the majority (87%) of those questioned said that being familiar with technology is vital to their child’s development, more than a quarter (26%) were concerned that their child’s use of technology was damaging their ability to create personal relationships.

There were also concerns about social media, with 16% of parents worried that their child’s use of “text speak” is hurting their grammatical and language skills.