Drive to warn of net paedophiles

Youngsters are being urged to question who they chat with

A £700,000 campaign warning children of paedophiles lurking on the internet launches on Thursday.

The government drive features radio, cinema and online advertising urging youngsters to question who they might be communicating with in chat rooms.

A radio advertisement features a man posing as a streetwise schoolboy to befriend a child through the internet.

The campaign also includes a leaflet telling parents how to set up filtering and monitoring systems for computers.

Chat rooms

It is the third stage of a £3m Home Office push to protect children online, which started in December 2001.

Home Office minister Paul Goggins said paedophiles often abused the trust children placed in them by trying to groom them through chat rooms.

"We want to do everything we can to make sure children are aware people are not always who they say they are on the internet," he said.

"Parents have a key role to play in this and we have updated our advice leaflets for them to give them practical help on keeping their children safe."