Ex-spy chief says kids should spend more time online and indoors

An ex-spy chief has said that children in the UK need to spend more time inside their houses online during the summer holidays.

Robert Hannigan said that by doing this, children will master cyber skills and be able to protect the UK. He also claimed it was the "national duty" of parents to encourage this behaviour to "save the country." Writing in The Telegraph yesterday, the dad-of-two claimed that people who believe spending a lot of time behind a computer screen is bad are being "driven by fear." "Your poor parenting may be helping them and saving the country," he said of parents who allow their children to spend a lot of time using electronic devices.

"Gaming and social media can be as sociable as mooching around the streets with a group of friends was once."

Hannigan's advice flies in the face of much research concerning how children should spend their free time. It has been proven that going outside has many health benefits for children including increasing vitamin D levels, lowering stress levels, and even improving their vision. According to cleaning brand Persil, children in the US actually spend less time outside than maximum security prisoners. Hannigan quit his job as director of the UK Government Communications Headquarters earlier this year due to personal reasons. His Telegraph article has been widely criticised online.