The European Commission set out a plan for safer internet and better internet content for children and teenagers. In particular,the new strategy is to build up the market for interactive, creative and educational content online, in a partnership between the European Commission and Member States, mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers and providers of social networking services.

Today 75% of children use the internet, a third of them on mobiles, according to the Commission. Also, 4 in 10 children report having encountered risks online such as cyber-bullying, being exposed to user-generated content promoting anorexia or self-harm or misuse of their personal data. While by 2015 it is expected that 90% of jobs across all sectors will require technology skills, only 25% of young people across the EU say they have “high” levels of basic Internet skills (such as using the Internet to make phone calls, create a web page, or use peer-to-peer file sharing).