Brown: UK can lead world on net safety

Gordon Brown says Britain should be a world leader when it comes to protecting its children in the digital world.

The prime minister's comments come as Tanya Byron published her review of children and new technology.

This includes the creation of a new UK Council on Child Internet Safety reporting directly to Downing Street.

"Other countries have got the same problems and all of us as parents are worried about our children so let's see if we can make a difference in this," he said.

Mr Brown said he supported the review's belief that there should not be a difference in attitudes between the 'real world' and the 'digital world' when it comes to child safety.

"If our children were leaving the house, or going to a swimming pool or going to play in the street, we would take all the care possible about their safety - is there proper policing, is there proper safety?" he pointed out.

"When a child goes on to the computer and on to the internet or on to a video game we should be thinking in the same way."