Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, is the patron of Safer Internet Day again in 2006.  She said:

"Blogs are a popular new way of communicating for young people and for all age groups, so it is appropriate that the Insafe network is using a blog on Safer Internet Day to show how using the Internet can be enjoyable, and what young people need to remember when blogging."

According to blog tracking site Technorati, 70,000 new blogs are created every day, many by young people.  A Guardian/ICM poll in the UK found a third of young people published content online on a personal blog or website.  Blogs offer exciting possibilities for education and self-expression.  However many young people are unaware of important ethical, legal and safety issues.  Posting of personal information and publishing of copyright material are among the online practices that have caused concern.

The blogathon will aim to raise awareness about such issues and enable parents, teachers and young people in particular to share experiences and cultural attitudes about their use of new technologies.

Safer Internet Day builds on the success of Safer Internet Day in 2005, when 65 organisations from 30 countries took part. Last year’s event included the launch of a storytelling competition for children.  Young authors received their prizes at national ceremonies attended by VIPs such as Princess Alexandra of Denmark and President Grimssson of Iceland.  A book of their stories was launched at the European ceremony in Paris in December.

Insafe, a network of 23 nodes in 21 countries funded through the EU Safer Internet Programme, organises Safer Internet Day. Safer Internet Day is also supported by MSN.