Government outlines e-safety for kids

Action Plan sets out to deliver Byron Review recommendations

Ian Williams, vnunet.com 25 Jun 2008

The UK government has today published plans to make video games and the internet safer for children.

The Byron Review Action Plan (PDF) sets out key milestones and deadlines to deliver the recommendations of Dr Tanya Byron's report Safer Children in a Digital World (PDF).

The Action Plan outlines government proposals for appointing an executive board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety.

The board will be chaired by ministers from the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Home Office.

It will include representatives from industry, non-governmental organisations, law enforcement agencies and the devolved administrations, and will be responsible for driving the Council's agenda.

"I am determined to do all I can to help ensure that there is an internet environment that is safe for children to use," said Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker.

"The Home Office has already published social networking guidance to make sites safer, and we will soon require child sex offenders to notify their email addresses to police so that this information can be passed on to social networking websites.

"By working in partnership with law enforcement agencies and charities we can drive forward our efforts to protect children from the harms associated with the internet, and help make sure it is safe for them."

The Action Plan includes details on how the new UK Council for Child Internet Safety will be set up, along with plans for the development of a self-regulatory approach by industry.

It will also discuss the role of schools and other children's and families' services, the reformation of the classification system for video games and e-safety issues among children, parents and other adults.

A public information and awareness campaign will begin in summer 2008.

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