Safer internet for Maltese children

EU ministers yesterday approved new regulations to rid the internet of racist, violent and pornographic content and make the web safer for children.

The ministers also agreed on a new EU programme called Safer Internet Plus which includes a €45 million budget for setting up telephone hotlines to report illegal content in all member states; filter technology for unwanted or harmful sites; an improved industry code of conduct for internet providers and awareness campaigns.

Malta was represented at the Telecoms, Transport and Energy Council, held in Brussels on Thursday and yesterday, by Competitiveness and Competition Minister Censu Galea.

Commissioner Viviane Reading told a press conference: "Today's parents and teachers want internet safety tools and skills. We must get more actively involved in our children's use of new media and in teaching them to use the internet safely".

She said she was particularly glad that Parliament and the Council very quickly found an agreement on the Commission's proposal, thereby enabling Europe to take rapid and effective action to make the internet safer and more trustworthy.

According to European Commission data, internet use among children is highest in the old EU 15 - but usage in new member states is increasing: Denmark, the Netherlands, UK (64 per cent each), Sweden (63 per cent), Finland (62 per cent), Estonia (60 per cent) and the Czech Republic (58 per cent)

An EU survey last year found that 14 per cent of children who use chat rooms met someone they encountered on the web. However, only four per cent of adults believed their children had done so.

The Safer Internet Plus Programme will run between 2005 and 2008.