Spain’s minister for energy, tourism and the digital agenda, Alvaro Nadal, has announced the launch of a new Children’s Internet Security Centre at an event in Madrid held to coincide with Safer Internet Day

The Centre will be managed by the national institute for cybersecurity (INCIBE) and will have a dedicated portal (www.is4k.es) as well as a helpline to advise and assist children, families, educators and professionals in the field on how to deal with the risks related to internet use. The aim is to reduce the availability of criminal and malicious content on the internet in close collaboration and coordination with the country’s security forces.

Nadal said some 95.2 percent of minors in Spain are regular Internet users and 70 percent have their own mobile phone and the centre will help extend and protect their rights. He added that the centre is the latest initiative from Spain’s internet and ICT development agency Red.es, the Secretary of State for the Information Society and INCIBE to promote the safe and responsible use on the internet and new technologies among children.