Research from UK online centres, a government-backed initiative to help UK citizens make the most of the web, found that many parents were worried about their child's safety online.

The group is encouraging parents to find out more about the safety issues raised by the web with a new course called 'Using the internet safely'.

Minister for Schools, Jim Knight MP said: "Schools today are populated by digital natives – children and young people for whom using the internet is intuitive, easy and an invaluable support to their learning."

"Parents naturally want to help their children make the most of the internet, but many of them are digital novices. The course is carefully designed for all those people who lack the confidence and ability to use the web," he continued.

The issue of online safety has been in the news this week, with one MP finding out very publicly that his daughter was breaking the rules of social-networking site Bebo.

Conservative MP John Whittingdale discovered in a parliamentary committee session that the minimum age for signing up to the service is 13 – his daughter is only 12.

And an international campaign to educate parents and children about legal downloading was also launched earlier this week.

www.myguide.gov.uk

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