 Monday, 06 September 2010 |
 |
 |
|
|
| |
| Homepage
> EU to have new Safer Internet Programme as of 1 January 2009
|
EU to have new Safer Internet Programme as of 1 January 2009
Following the adoption of a report by the European Parliament, the EU Council of Ministers adopted today the new EU Safer Internet Programme which aims to protect children surfing the internet and enable them to safely use web services like social networking, blogging and instant messaging.
The EU Safer Internet programme was proposed by the European Commission in February 2008. The 5 year programme will begin in on 1 January 2009 with a budget of € 55 to “combat illegal online content but also to tackle illegal and harmful conduct such as grooming and cyber bullying.”
Commenting on the adoption of the programme by the Council, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding, said “I am glad that the Parliament and Council agreed to the Commission proposal so quickly, allowing us to respond to parents' very natural concerns and make sure Europe is a safe place for children to explore new technologies."
The new programme will co-fund projects to:
•Ensure awareness of children, parents and teachers, and support contact points that are providing them with advice on how to stay safe online;
•Provide the public with national contact points for reporting illegal and harmful content and conduct, in particular on child sexual abuse material and grooming;
•Foster self-regulatory initiatives in this field and stimulate the involvement of children in creating a safer online environment;
•Establish a knowledge base on the use of new technologies and related risks by bringing together researchers engaged in online child safety at European level.
According to a new Eurobarometer survey conducted in all EU Member States, 75% of children aged from 6 to 17 years already use the Internet – a trend which continues to grow. Half of the parents who did not use Internet themselves said that their child had online access.
|
|
|
|
|
|
