A lack of "real" social networking, involving personal interaction, may have biological effects, he suggests. He also says that evidence suggests that a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.

This, he claims, could increase the risk of health problems as serious as cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia.

Dr Sigman says that there is research that suggests the number of hours people spend interacting face-to-face has fallen dramatically since 1987, as the use of electronic media has increased.

Dr Sigman also argues using electronic media undermines people's social skills and their ability to read body language.

Thousands of words – good words, worth keeping – are written in a few days of deep concentration where it would have taken weeks to produce the same amount exposed to the fool’s continuum of constant access to the hive mind and the blinking screen.

As we engage more and more with the flitting of the Internet’s slipstream, it rewires our minds to be less than we are capable of, less than we imagined, less we hoped for – it is stupefying and stupidifying.  We leap from one small object to another, like children chasing bubbles.  We click on the links. We click and clack and turn and toss in an “ecosystem of interruption technologies.”   We become less able to think deeply, to encompass ambiguities, nuances, to hold with a single thought and parse it out.

"Each force has now got its own child protection team and organisations are working together to try to protect young people, not just on sexual offending matters and grooming but also bullying."

For Safer Internet Day, the BBC has launched a "Share Take Care" campaign to highlight the risks of sharing information online.

The BBC has published a number of guides online, advising social media users to provide minimum information online and use privacy settings.

Wikipedia has encountered particular difficulties with censorship in the past in China. The Chinese government periodically blocked the site between 2004 and 2008, when restrictions were lifted to coincide with the Olympics.

What really excites Mr Wales is the idea of many people in the developing world using the internet for the first time.

"Massive numbers of people are going to come online from cultures we don't normally interact with."

This could have huge implications for governments which are unused to dealing with a well informed networked public. However, Mr Wales acknowledged one potential pitfall of all the extra users blogging and adding other material.

Domestic internet use also rose. According to the ONS, 77% of households now have access to a net connection.

Older users, who the government is particularly keen to get connected, appeared to have been relatively untouched by the phenomenon.

While 71% of 16 to 24-year-old who went online said they used mobile broadband, just 8% of internet users aged over 65 made use of the newer technology.

The ONS survey also found a dramatic rise in the use of wifi hotspots - a seven-fold increase since 2011 - suggesting that the rise of 3G has done little to slow demand for free and paid-for wireless access.

All findings were based on a monthly survey of 1,800 randomly selected adults from across the UK.

The ever-growing adoption of social networks, instant messages and mobile communication leaves the door open to more subtle attacks - both of a technological and psychological nature.

"Parents must realise that technology alone can't keep children safe online," Deborah Preston, the company's internet security advocate.

"To be truly safe it requires not only technology, but also a combination of open and ongoing dialogue and education between parents and children."

On social networks, account hijacking - where a child's account is accessed for a practical joke or more sinister purposes - can cause considerable distress.

A poll by Virgin Media suggests that 38% of parents whose children have suffered from cyberbullying feel unable to protect them due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of how the online world works.

This, Mr Abdul argued, could only be solved through greater education and a more honest understanding from parents about how real and damaging the effects of online bullying could be.

Mr Abdul added, the correct software, education and parental supervision means children can also be protected both at home and away.