The Government has launched a world-first strategy that aims to keep children safe online.

Writing exclusively for The Northern Echo, Schools Minister Ed Balls tells how he hopes the new safety measures will prevent another tragedy like the death of Ashleigh Hall.

THE circumstances that led to the tragic death of Ashleigh Hall will have resonated with every parent.

Everything I have heard about Ashleigh is that she was a typical 17-year-old girl, funloving and kind, caring and considerate.

Like many young people, she also visited social networking sites. And she was killed after meeting a man she met via the internet.

It is every parent’s worst nightmare and underlines the need to keep children and young people safe online, something I often hear from parents.

As a parent myself, I entirely share those concerns, and that’s why two years ago I asked Dr Tanya Byron to do a review into how we could help children and their parents stay safe on the web.

And yesterday Dr Byron, the Prime Minister and myself, launched the UK’s first internet safety strategy – Click Clever, Click Safe – backed by an unprecedented coalition of Government, charities and industry, including Microsoft, Google, Vodafone and Bebo.

And it’s why The Northern Echo’s Safety Net campaign is so important.

Dangers do lurk behind the computer screen – studies show about one in five young people say they have come across harmful or inappropriate content online.

At the same time, we want young people to use and enjoy the internet.

It’s an amazing resource and provides young people with knowledge, entertainment and the chance to keep in touch with friends, at just the click of a mouse.

I want young people to enjoy the benefits of the internet as much as adults, and 99 per cent of those aged eight to 17 now have access to the web.

But that means all of us – parents, schools, Government, internet providers, social networking sites – have a duty to ensure they stay safe while they use it.

Part of the problem is that many parents can be baffled by the internet – a third of children say their parents don’t really know what they do on the computer.

But just as we keep an eye on younger children playing outside – and when older children leave the house we ask where they will be, who they will be with and what they will be doing – we must all make sure that when our children step into the virtual world of the web, we are sure we know what they are doing and that they are safe.

Our new strategy will do four things.

First, it will launch a Green Cross Code for the internet. Just as stop, look, listen is second nature to us, its three-step digital code – Zip It, Block It, Flag It – will be known to all young people and will be adopted by retailers, social networking sites, schools and charities.

“Zip it” means keep your personal stuff private and think about what you say and do online.

“Block it” means block people who send nasty messages and don’t open unknown links and attachments.

And “flag it” means flag up with someone you trust if anything upsets you or if someone asks to meet you offline.

Second, it will mean that for the first time ever, internet companies, charities and the Government are independently reviewed against new standards to keep children and young people safe online.

Third, it will help parents to access a one-stop shop website for internet safety advice.

And finally it will make online safety a compulsory part of the curriculum from age five from September 2011.

All these will help children and young people stay safe online, providing them with the information, advice and guidance they need to ensure they can enjoy the internet safely.

Ashleigh’s death was tragic.

No one can guarantee something like this will never happen again, but what we need to do now is do our best to make sure all children and young people are kept safe in future.

Net safety by numbers

■ Forty-four million people in the UK have internet access, including 99 per cent of eight to 17-year-olds
■ Seventy-six per cent of young people say the internet means their friends are there whenever they need them
■ Eighteen per cent of children have come across harmful or inappropriate content online
■ Sixty-seven per cent of parents have rules for their children’s internet use
■ Thirty-three per cent of children say their parents do not really know what they do on the internet
■ Half of children encountering harmful or inappropriate content online do nothing about it