New safety strategy for web usage

Parents are to be urged against leaving their children to roam the internet without adult supervision as part of a new safety strategy to be launched next week.

According to The Daily Telegraph, a key recommendation will be to keep computers in areas where adults can keep an eye on children's use.

The strategy, drawn up by the UK Council for Child internet Safety, will also feature a national awareness drive for parents.

The internet industry will be expected to play its part, too, in making the web safer for children.

The strategy comes after a report by psychologist Tanya Byron into the harmful effects of websites and video games.

Prof. Byron flagged up the risk of children being bullied or encountering pornography online.

She warned that many parents were not aware of the dangers.

Media regulator Ofcom believes that 35 per cent of children aged between 12 and 15 years have internet access in their bedrooms.

A Whitehall source told the Telegraph: "We are encouraging parents to make sure their children use the computer in a common room in the house.

"This is all about getting parents involved, what they know online, how they can manage that and how they can be more aware of what they can do such as better protection controls."