Do mum and dad think you're spending too much time online? They've now got a new weapon...

British inventor (and to anyone who enjoys online gaming, spoilsport) Andrew Goodwill has come up with a new hardware widget that he plans to market to parents as a means of curbing their offspring's online time.

The Timed Internet Connection (TIC) is a small hardware device that plugs into a computer's modem. It incorporates a small keypad that allows a parent to program the amount of time that the modem is operative for in any 24-hour period.

Andrew states: "This is very much the right product at the right time. To date, most parents have been concerned over their children viewing unsuitable content on the Internet. There are now many products on the market to control this aspect. But of equal concern is the cost of the telephone calls. The TIC now allows them to control this cost by regulating the amount of time that the computer can be physically connected to the Internet."

The TIC's features are all PIN protected and the unit can be programmed to ensure the Internet connection cannot be re-established after the initial 'time-out'. It also features a series of LEDs to show whether the unit's been tampered with or not.

The TIC is available now at a price of Ł39.99, but we're not going to tell you where to get if from. If you really want to spoil your children's fun, find it yourself...