Murdoch funds web safety campaign

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, owner of the popular My Space online chat site, has launched a multimillion pound campaign to promote child safety on the internet.

The move comes as the market-leading My Space runs into yet more trouble concerning child safety online. The site is being sued for $30m by a Texas parent of a girl who claims she was abused by another My Space user while in Canada this week.

A 23-year old man has been charged with manipulating a 13-year-old girl into performing sex acts on a webcam. My Space has an estimated 92 million users, approximately one in five of whom are young teens.

A series of TV ads featuring Kiefer Sutherland from action TV series, 24, are promoting the idea that it doesn’t take ‘24 hours’ to protect kids from internet trouble.

“On TV Jack Bauer has 24 hours to make the world safe,” Sutherland states in the ad. “In real life it only takes a few minutes to do the same for our kids. To protect them you don't need the latest state-of-the-art technology. You just need a few simple tips: Don't let them run into trouble on the internet - use common sense.”

Parents are then pointed towards CommonSense.com, a non-profit site devoted to providing advice and booklets on internet safety.