In December 2008, the European Parliament adopted the Safer Internet Programme and agreed to provide a budget worth €55 million to fight illegal contents and to curb online harassments such as bullying.

Apart from monitoring Internet site, the program will also focus in spreading knowledge especially in terms of Internet conduct and responsibility when using this electronic medium.

Few months ago, the Safer Internet Programme conducted a survey called Flash Eurobarometer to find out parents’ opinion regarding their children’s Internet habit and the associated risks when going online.

The survey was done through telephone interview in all EU member nations, targeting parents with children aged between six to 17.

The group used a benchmarking method, comparing the result of the latest survey from the outcomes of the previous years.  Each interviewee will be asked on anti-spam and other filtering online tools and parental control practice.

Meanwhile, with the survey’s findings, experts in communication and Internet technology will be able to provide parents and educators with helpful advice on how to guide their children when going online especially when using social networking sites as these are associated with more risks due to its open nature.

Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding discussed online safety and other important issues on the use of Internet with representatives of some social networking sites including MySpace and Dailymotion.

Meanwhile, other participants of the Safer Internet Forum were various non-government organizations, authorities, and educators from various countries.

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