A MEON Valley MP is supporting a safety campaign designed to keep young people safe on the internet.

George Hollingbery is supporting Internet Matters, which is a joint venture between Sky, Talk Talk, BT and Virgin.

It provides online resource for parents worried about their child’s safety when using the internet.

Ofcom research shows that 57% of 12-15 year olds visit networking sites on their mobile phone and 42% of 9-16 year olds accept a ‘friend’ request from people they do not know, according to a report by Net Children Go Mobile.

Mr Hollingbery said: “Sadly not a day goes by when the dangers of the internet are reported in the media, so this resource will be a great help to parents and young people who can then understand the risks.

“Social media, in particular, is now a very fast moving and complicated area where parents are certainly struggling to keep with their children, but the dangers of being groomed or bullied are very real and have effects lasting many years for those who are victims.

“So I do urge parents to look at the resource. Some of it they may already know but I’m sure other areas of advice will be useful, particularly around the often difficult situation of talking to children about their online activity.”

Internet Matters online guides include information on popular apps that children and teenagers are likely to use and what the risks are.

It also encourages parents to have discussions with their children and establish basic rules, such as not arranging to meet strangers they have met online.