JIMMY' is a seemingly respectable businessman in his 50s. But away from his apparent "normal" life, he is a paedophile looking for a target.

Jimmy logs into online chatrooms and pretends to be a 16-year-old in the hope he will meet someone vulnerable he can groom.

People like Jimmy act as a stark reminder as to why children should be properly educated and supervised when surfing the net.

Computers are fantastic learning tools for our children and can open up an entire world full of fantastic facts and information, but they can also put youngsters in danger.

In a recent Panorama programme one man who currently faces prosecution for his alleged internet activities said parents should stop their children having a computer in the bedroom.

He said they should be put in a well-used family room such as a kitchen or living room. And, with webcams so widely used, it would act as a good deterrent if the computer was in a room where an adult could walk past at any moment.

Panorama researchers posted a bogus virtual identity of a 14-year-old girl called "Jane Brown" on three networking sites and discovered just how easy it was to meet paedophiles.

Despite following strict rules to avoid entrapment such as only going online in the early evening between 4pm and 6.30pm and never late at night, "Jane" was bombarded with sexually explicit and disturbing messages by much older men, some of whom sent naked photos. She received requests to chat with strangers which took her away from the public space on the site to a private one, was asked if she was a virgin, if she would have sex and what her bra size had been when she was 10.

Police in Dorset say it is recommended that parents don't allow their children to have computers in their own rooms.

Sgt Andy Stevenson, of the public protection unit, said: "There are a number of websites which cover safety online and one of the top recommendations about how to monitor your child's internet use is not to have the computer in their private room so at least you can monitor what is going on."

Alison Curtis, manager of the Streetwise safety centre in Wallisdown, agrees.

She said: "We tell all children to follow the SMART rules. Refuse to give personal information and never meet a stranger unless you are with an adult in a public place.

"We also advise that computers should be in a well-used room and facing people so they can monitor what is on the screen and the children can see they are being monitored.

"Parents shouldn't be frightened of computers and they should encourage a free flow of information so the child knows they are able to talk to their parents about it."

Streetwise has created a Chatwise game, which teaches children how to use the internet safely, but it has yet to go into production because they are still seeking funding for it.