I think that adult concerns about the dangers of video games and the internet to children are a bit exaggerated.

I spend about 13 hours a week playing games online and I have never come across any inappropriate material such as pornography.

In fact, I would say that the internet and computer games have only been of benefit to me. I am sure that one of the reasons that I’m in the top maths set at my school is because I used to spend so much time when I was younger playing. In the game Heroes III, you have a castle and you have to build up an army — I spent a lot of time sitting at the computer adding up.

I also use Wikipedia to help with my homework. I could survive without it, I would just go to the library, but it is really helpful. And I have just started to use mymaths.co.uk to help with revision for my SATs tests next month.

My favourite game is World of Warcraft, in which you have to complete quests. I find it really satisfying. My brothers Harry, 16, and Max, 10, both play computer games too.

It is wrong to say that computer games can isolate children because we usually play games with our friends over the internet and it is a way of playing together just like in real life. I play shoot-’em-up games with a lot of killing, but that does not make me behave more aggressively because I know they are not real and it is not part of my real life.

The existing classification system for video games seems clear to me and to my parents, so I’m not sure it needs changing. But some change does need to happen.

If I were Prime Minister I would find a way of filtering out pornographic material on sites that children use and check websites for words that might not be appropriate for children. I would put in place a system for monitoring chat rooms to make sure they had safe content. All suicide websites would be taken down.

Responsible parents should monitor what their children are doing online. If they are not, then maybe a publicity campaign would help. But actually, I think that young people have a role in helping their parents understand the digital world. Parents might be more likely to listen to their children.

I try to get my parents to have a go on my games, so they know what it’s like. I got my Dad to have a go on Guitar Hero, but it was really embarrassing because he was so rubbish at it.

Explore Tech & Web

• Personal Tech

• The Web

• Gadgets & Gaming

Times recommends

• Sony Reader could kill off the book
• Make 3D images with your own camera
• Lifelike animation heralds new era for computer games