Gordon Brown Hails New Child Internet Safety Council UKCCIS

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today hailed a "path-breaking" new organisation designed to protect children online.

Mr Brown said the creation of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) was an "important landmark" in efforts to keep young people safe when using the internet.

The challenge for society and the Government was to strike a balance between safety and freedoms, he said.

The premier was speaking at the launch of UKCCIS at London's Science Museum alongside Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Children's Secretary Ed Balls.

The council will report directly to the Prime Minister and will be tasked with tackling issues like online bullying and violent video games.

The council will unite more than 100 industry, charity and public sector experts.

It has been set up in response to a report by Dr Tanya Byron into how children and parents can get the most from new technology while protecting youngsters from inappropriate or harmful material.

Mr Brown, who had earlier been speaking to children from Holland Park School as they used the museum's internet facilities, said: "This revolution in communications is here to stay.

"Some people call the internet a slanging match without an umpire. The challenge for us is to make sure young people can use the internet safely and do so with the minimum of restrictions but the maximum of opportunities."

He added: "The internet provides our children with a world of entertainment, of opportunity and knowledge, a world that is quite literally at their fingertips, just the click of a mouse away.

"But just as we would not allow them to go out unsupervised in playgrounds or in youth clubs or in swimming pools, so we must put in place the measures we need to keep our children safe online."

The collection of experts who make up UKCCIS will ensure a "voice" in the development of a child internet safety strategy to be published next year.

The strategy will:

* Establish a public information and awareness safety campaign across the Government and industry;

* Provide specific measures to support vulnerable children and young people, such as taking down illegal internet sites;

* Promote responsible advertising to children online;

* Establish voluntary codes of practice.

Mr Brown said that some people would say the internet could not be regulated while others would call for Government intervention and others still said parents had to take responsibility.

He said: "The fact that we are here today - Government, industry, charities, parents, teachers and law enforcement agencies, united in a common aim - has, I believe, proved them wrong.

"I believe that the supervision of the internet is the responsibility of all of us and that the problems it presents are ours and we must address them together as a society.

"So today is an important landmark in bringing people together, helping to strike a balance between keeping our children safe and giving them the freedoms that they need to build their independence."

The Prime Minister praised Dr Byron's report and her efforts in helping to unite all the organisations involved.

He added: "This is the first in the world. It will be path-breaking and already I have been talking to prime ministers in other countries who are interested in this."

Ms Smith said: "We have a very good record in this country led by very many of the people that actually make sure that we balance that freedom and those opportunities with protection and safeguards."

Independant