Drive to highlight dangers of internet

A public awareness campaign to protect children using the internet
was launched last week by the Home Office.

The campaign, which includes radio and cinema advertising as well
as guidelines for parents, aims to encourage children to think
carefully about whom they might be communicating with in chat rooms
and offer practical advice.

Home Office minister Paul Goggins said the campaign, along with the
new grooming offence in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, showed the
government’s commitment to protecting children from
paedophiles.

The £3m campaign is part of the work of the government’s task
force on child protection on the internet. The internet awareness
campaign began in December 2001, and a second phase was launched
last January.

During this third phase – worth £700,000 – radio advertising
will run throughout this month, cinema advertisements will be shown
next month and advertising on websites aimed at teenagers will run
until the end of March.

– Keep your Child Safe on the Internet from www.thinkuknow.co.uk