Fifty eight per cent of 13-17 year olds expect that as university students, they will have a laptop to use as they please, according to a survey.

Only 17 per cent expected to have their own PC at their place of residence, while 25 per cent said they thought they would have a laptop to carry around campus, but for university use only.

IT services group Logicalis polled over 1,000 teenagers online and in person and asked whether they expected to buy their own PC when they start university, or if they expect the university to provide on-campus PCs.

Twenty four per cent expected to have their own, while 26 per cent expected the university to buy them one. Another 20 per cent expected the university to provide one for them to use, while 30 per cent said they didn't know yet.

Only 19 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to use a desktop PC for messaging and virtual learning, but 38 per cent would choose a laptop.

And 34 per cent said the offer of a free laptop could entice them to study at a particular institution. If this became a reality, it could cost the UK Higher Education sector over £150m a year, according to Logicalis.

Respondents also expressed apprehension about social networking, with only 23 per cent saying they were unconcerned about posting personal information on sites. While 34 per cent said they had become more concerned about online safety and security, 20 per cent said they are not posting personal information on social networking sites.

And 24 per cent said publicised security fears have stopped them joining social networking sites.