Internet news more addictive than porn - shocker

Employees surfing the net in work time are far more likely to be wiling away the hours surfing news sites than looking at porn.

While that fact alone will hardly surprise anybody keen on keeping their job, research from web monitoring firm Websense suggest the reason isn't to do with respectability, but has more to do with addiction.

UK workers are reportedly becoming addicted to constantly updated news sources available on the internet, returning at regular intervals throughout the day for the latest developments.

More than 20 per cent of employees surveyed by Websense said news is the most addictive content type on the internet. Only 18 per cent cited porn while eight per cent said gambling sites were the most addictive.

Almost three quarters of those surveyed said they regularly surf news sites for information unrelated to their jobs, while at work.

Shopping was also popular - 37 per cent of respondents admitted to making purchases online during the working day, while only two per cent confessed to visiting porn sites on their boss's time.

While porn was originally considered the stickiest app on the web it appears the novelty is now wearing off and more worthy content types are starting to shine.

So keep coming back for your regular hit of news at silicon.com and let us be your information dealer.