Brussels, 27/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 February, the European Commission presented the new Safer Internet programme to enhance the safety of children in the online environment. Encompassing recent communications services such as social networking, the new programme will fight not only illegal content but also harmful behaviour such as bullying and grooming. With a budget of €55 million, the programme, which builds further on the successful Safer Internet programme started in 2005, will run from 2009 to 2013.
The programme proposed has four objectives to: 1) reduce illegal content and tackle harmful conduct online: actions to provide the public with national contact points for reporting illegal content online and harmful conduct, focusing in particular on child sexual abuse material and grooming; 2) promote a safer online environment: fostering self-regulatory initiatives in this field to stimulate the involvement of children and young people in creating a safer online environment, in particular through youth panels; 3) ensure public awareness: actions targeting children, their parents and teachers. This is to encourage a multiplier effect through exchange of best practices within the network of national awareness centres, supporting contact points where parents and children can receive advice on how to stay safe online; and 4) establish a knowledge base by bringing together researchers engaged in child safety online at European level. The aim is to establish a knowledge base on the use of new technologies by children, the effects these have on them, and related risks; and use this to improve the effectiveness of ongoing actions within the Safer Internet programme.
The proposal takes into account the results of public consultation on Safer Internet and online technologies for children which ran from April to June 2007. It also includes recommendations made by children themselves at the European Youth Forum organised by the European Commission for Safer Internet Day 2008. In addition to the Safer Internet Programme, other political initiatives have taken place, the Commission points out, with a leading mobile phone operators' agreement of February 2007 to develop self-regulatory codes to protect minors using mobile phones. More recently, the mobile industry also announced it would shut off all access to child pornography on mobile phones. (I.L.)