€ 55 million to make the Internet a safer place for children The EU will have a new Safer Internet Programme as of 1 January 2009. Following the overwhelmingly positive vote on 23 October in which the European Parliament expressed its support for the new Safer Internet Programme, the Council of Ministers has adopted today the new Programme.

The new Safer Internet Programme covering the period 2009-2013 had been proposed by the European Commission on 28 February 2008 to protect children in the ever more sophisticated online world and empower them to safely use web services like social networking, blogging and instant messaging.

While 75% of children (aged between 6 and 17 years) are already online and 50% of 10-year-olds have a mobile phone, a new Eurobarometer survey published today shows that 60% of European parents are worried that their child might become a victim of online grooming (when an adult befriends a child with the intention of committing sexual abuse) and 54% that their children could be bullied online (harassed on internet sites or via mobile messages). The new Safer Internet Programme will fight grooming and bullying by making online software and mobile technologies more sophisticated and secure. From 2009-2013, the EU will spend € 55 million to make the Internet a safer place.

"Children today dive into the world of internet and mobile technologies very early and often become fully-fledged technology-savvy, web-surfing teenagers. Because these technologies help them study and give them exciting new ways to socialise with others, they are often faster to use them than their parents. We need to make sure that whenever they use online or mobile services, they can recognise potential risks and deal with them," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. "I am glad that the Parliament and Council agreed to the Commission proposal so quickly, allowing us to respond to parents' very natural concerns and make sure Europe is a safe place for children to explore new technologies."

The Safer Internet Programme, for the period 2009-2013 was adopted today by the Council of Ministers and builds on the successes of its predecessor which covered the period 2005-2008.