Like warm children's winter clothing, computers are now an essential rather than a luxury for kids.

The government has underlined the key role IT plays in the lives of modern youngsters after announcing its free laptops scheme has been a success.

Over 130,000 families have applied for computer equipment and broadband access, which are available to households on a low income.

To qualify, families must already be eligible for free school dinners and meet criteria set out by Westminster officials.

There are 270,000 free pieces of computer equipment on offer to kids aged between three and nine until the initiative runs out in March 2011.

Schools secretary Ed Balls said there has been a fantastic response to the scheme and underlined how important IT is to a youngster's educational development.

He said: "Not only will this help children learn – but it can also help parents keep in touch with their child's school work as well."

Mums and dads could also use the laptops for keeping up on the latest parenting tips from their peers.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogger Theresa Walsh Giarrussio said the social networking portal is a useful point of contact that can be used to spread information about the latest illnesses going round communities.ADNFCR-3005-ID-19604918-ADNFCR