EU to spend €50m on child internet safety

The European Commission is to spend €50 million on improved internet safety measures after a study found 46 per cent of children in Northern Europe had been approached online by someone asking to meet.

The EU Safety, Awareness, Facts and Tools (SAFT) project, which carried out the study, also found that 14 per cent of children had met someone this way. However, this was disputed by parents, who believed only 4 per cent of children had done so.

The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Dermot Ahern, chaired an informal meeting of EU Ministers in Dundalk to discuss the issue. After the meeting, the Minister said: "Broadband is bringing great benefits to the public at large and business in particular. But we as legislators must ensure while expanding applications arising from new technologies offers great opportunities it also has inherent dangers."

"The EU Safer Internet projects have already proved their worth. Last October it led to remarkable achievements, including the October 2003 break-up of a world-wide child-porn ring thanks to a tip from the Internet hotline association INHOPE," he said.

The safer internet campaign will start in 2005 and run for four years and will work to combat illegal and harmful internet content. Part of the financing will be used to purchase improved content filters.

Hotlines where parents can report dangerous Internet sites and exchange information will also be expanded. The programme includes the accession states.