Government puts £9m into web safety scheme

The Government is to spend £9m on an internet safety initiative.

An action plan announced last month outlined plans to set up a UK council to make the internet and video games safer for children and young people.

The money will fund the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and an advertising campaign to raise awareness of e-safety issues among children, young people and parents.

The action plan follows the recommendations made in the Government’s Safer Children in a Digital World report, published in March. It stemmed from a review last September, which was headed by psychologist Dr Tanya Byron.

The Government organisation responsible for putting the action plan in place, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), could not comment further on the investment.

A representative for the DCSF said: “I assume the funding will be a one-off.”

Other Government-funded organisations have welcomed the initiative.

Tony Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, an organisation set up by the Government and the Serious Organised Crime Agency to inform people of online dangers, said: “Making all internet users aware of the risks and teaching them how to spot the danger signs is a crucial part of tackling online safety concerns.”

The Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre agreed. A representative for the organisation said it would be part of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, which will be responsible for driving the Council's agenda.

Other initiatives within the action plan include the development of a self-regulatory approach by industry which will make the internet safer for children. A consultation in the next few weeks will decide how to implement film-style ratings for video games, another recommendation of the Byron Report.