AN annual campaign to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones among children has won the backing of Thurrock Council.

The council are supporting Safer Internet Day today.

Together with the Local Strategic Partnership the council will be posting links to useful internet safety awareness sites on their respective sites; www.thurrock.gov.uk and www.shapingthurrock.org.uk.

These sites will provide online posters and other literature increasing the public’s understanding of online safety.

Cabinet member for Children’s Services, Coun Sue MacPherson, said: “With cyber-bullying becoming one of the most frequent problems young people encounter on the internet, it is especially important that there is a greater awareness about how to protect our children online.”

Corporate Director of Children, Education and Families, Robert McCulloch-Graham has written to all schools encouraging them to highlight internet safety.

He said: “With society’s growing reliance on the internet it is important that we continue to rally the message to young people of the web’s risks as well as its benefits.

“Our schools can act as a platform to raise this awareness as well as empower children on how to deal with these online dangers.”

For more information regarding internet safety visit http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1 or http://www.ceop.gov.uk/.