European Parliament proposes .kid internet domain

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Wednesday proposed creating a new .kid internet domain name to help children navigate cyberspace safely.

The .kid domain would be reserved for websites with content designed for children and would be regularly monitored by an independent authority, the non-binding proposal suggests.

The idea was part of a report on making internet browsing safer for children who are often exposed to violence, pornography and sexual advances on the web.

When they subscribe to an internet access, parents should be offered user-friendly filters that would block access to some 260 million pornographic websites available worldwide, it said.

"It's time access providers offered parents special internet services targeted at children with an automatic filter," the report's author, French liberal Marielle de Sarnez (UDF), told a news conference.

She proposed that the executive European Commission create a toll free telephone helpline for parents seeking advice on filtering the internet or avoiding chat rooms where children could be exposed to sexual propositions.

Studies from some European Union member states showed one child in three is confronted by violent, pornographic or paedophile images on the internet, she said.