Children at risk of web predators

Jim Gamble said children need to be educated about risk

Millions of children across the UK potentially risk meeting internet sex predators, an expert has warned.

Jim Gamble, head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), said young people must learn how to stay safe on the web.

The former senior Northern Ireland policeman is addressing a Belfast conference on child protection.

He said more than eight million UK children use the internet and where they go "child sex offenders follow".

He said CEOP's own work told them that "one in four young people have gone on to meet someone off-line who they initially met online".

Mr Gamble, is speaking at Queen's University's first International Children's Conference.

He will focus on the issues that some young people face, including trafficking and child prostitution.

He will also speak about social networking sites and how they are used to target young people as victims of potential abuse, but also how they can be used by professionals as a means of educating.

"That's why we all share a role in understanding the risks faced in the online world so we can empower those children and young people we work with to better protect themselves - so they can enjoy the internet but know how to stay safe at the same time," he said.

Other speakers include chief nursing officer in Northern Ireland Professor Martin Bradley.