EU internet crackdown

13:16 23rd October 2008

The European Union has agreed to spend £44 million to make the internet a safer place for children.

The European Commission's Safer Internet proposal will run from 2009 until 2013 and will aim to tackle cyber bullying, promote public awareness and create national centres for reporting illegal online content.

A Eurobarometer survey recently disclosed that 74 per cent of children aged 12 to 15 surfed the internet for at least three hours a day.

Csaba Sogor, a Romanian lawmaker, told Reuters: "The most important part of the programme is to establish a knowledge base by bringing together researchers engaged in child safety online at European level."

In addition, EU legislators are also hoping to make the internet safer for businesses.

Last week, a group of technology researchers from the University of California discovered that surfing the internet can counteract the natural decline in thought processes, which occur during ageing.