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The study, which was compiled by content filtering firm Optenet, found that dangerous and illicit content on the internet - including racism, violence and child pornography - has "significantly increased" since the end of 2006.

According to the research, pages associated with violent content increased 125 per cent while websites promoting racism experienced a 70 per cent increase. Sites advocating the use of illegal drugs were found to have jumped by

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almost two-thirds and pro-anorexia and bulimia websites were estimated to have increased by 470 per cent.

The study showed that although pornography as a total percentage of internet content has actually decreased slightly since 2006, it still is by far the largest content category on the internet, representing 35 per cent of all websites. Online shopping represents the second biggest category (10.5 per cent), followed by travel (seven per cent) and advertising sites (six per cent).

"Due to the rapidly increasing amount of dangerous and illicit content on the Internet, people need to take serious measures to protect their families and businesses," said Joel Silberman, vice president North America at Optenet.

"It is no coincidence that pro-anorexia and bulimia sites have increased 470 per cent and that personal web pages have similarly increased 455 percent. As the web continues to evolve from commercial to social, it is more vital than ever for parents and managers alike to categorise, monitor and control online activity."