A series of events themed around safety on the Internet is being aimed at both children and parents in an attempt to raise awareness of dangers and risks on the Internet.

With broadband connections available more freely nowadays and more of us now having access to a personal computer or laptop, parents are being encouraged to keep a close eye on their children's online activity.

February 12^th has been entitled ‘Safer Internet Day' by the InSafe group. The European-wide event - which is celebrating it's fifth year of operation and awareness - was set up to encourage vigilance - both by parents and children - on staying safe online.

Schools were also encouraged to raise awareness, with many now having access to broadband connections in order to help with research during lessons. Information packs for a range of ages were provided by InSafe, who also ran a design competition of publicity material.

The competition encouraged groups of children from across Europe to design promotional projects about online safety, with the winning entries becoming focal points for the campaign, as well as offering a cash prize for the winning groups.

According to research carried out in 2007, over 40% of youngsters between the ages of 8-11 regularly used the internet, and there have been past campaigns to highlight the dangers of revealing personal information, such as mobile phone numbers and real names on internet chat rooms and social networking websites.

There have been rises in high-speed broadband connections and social networking websites over recent years, and children of all ages are being advised on how much information they post on their profiles.

But the Get Safe Online campaign is also advising users of all ages on the dangers of viruses, spyware and malware, and encouraging them to use anti-virus software and firewalls in an effort to protect their personal data.

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