Safer internet 'blogathon' circles the globe

The UK's Internet Watch Foundation is taking part in a one-day 'blogathon' to promote tomorrow's Safer Internet Day.

Organisations working to improve internet safety will post entries on the blog throughout the day. It will feature posts in several languages, and will move west through global time zones, from New Zealand to Argentina.

According to one estimate 70,000 new blogs are created every day, many by young people. But children posting personal information - and publishing of copyright material - are developments that have caused concern.

The blogathon hopes to raise awareness about such issues and allow parents, teachers and young people to share experiences about their use of new technologies.

The European Union's Safer Internet Plus programme aims to promote safer use of the internet and new online technologies, particularly for children, and to fight against illegal and undesirable content.

The blog will be organised by Insafe, the EU network for internet safety awareness.

European commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, said in a statement: "Blogs are a popular new way of communicating for young people and all age groups, so it is appropriate that the Insafe network is using a blog on Safer Internet Day to show how using the internet can be enjoyable, and what young people need to remember when blogging."