The Internet: a better and safer place for kids
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27/11/2012
At its meeting on 26 November 2012, the Council adopted conclusions on a European strategy for a better Internet for children, focusing on content quality and awareness-raising measures.
The Strategy, which was proposed by the Commission and adopted by the Council in May 2012, outlines a series of measures to be undertaken by the Commission, member states and industry, particularly in the following four areas:
- stimulating quality content on-line for children and young people;
- stepping up the awareness and empowerment of children, their parents and teachers;
- creating a safe on-line environment for children, in particular by encouraging age-appropriate privacy settings and wider use of parental tools;
- fighting against child sexual abuse images, in particular through cooperation between industry, law enforcement authorities and hotlines.
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Both policy-makers and industry face the same question: how to let children enjoy the benefits of the Internet, but at the same time not let their curiosity lead them into harm. While in some areas it is relatively easy to identify who has a major role to play (governments/public authorities in education, industry in creating quality online content), there are other grey areas, such as privacy-by-default settings and parental control tools.
The conclusions invite member states, the Commission and industry to encourage the production of innovative, multilingual and attractive content for children and young people and to equip children, parents and teachers with the necessary digital skills that would allow young people to enjoy the Internet in a safe and responsible way.
These conclusions supplement the conclusions on the protection of children in the digital world adopted at the end of 2011, which dealt mostly with a safe on-line environment and the fight against child sexual abuse.
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