Careful what you type...

Safer Internet Day, initiated by the European Commission, is held in Poland and throughout the European Union today.

This year’s slogan, “Think before sending”, is geared towards people who use social networking sites such as Facebook or, in Poland, the popular Nasza-Klasa.pl portal.

In an interview with Polish Radio, Agnieszka Wrzesien from the “Nobody’s Children” Foundation stated that many internet users, especially children, do not think about their safety when uploading pictures or personal information of themselves onto the internet, often not aware of the consequences.

Another problem which is on the rise in Poland is cyber-bullying, which, according to Ms. Wrzesien, has affected over 50 percent of Polish teenagers who use the internet.

A drastic case of cyber-bullying took place at the beginning of Febraury this year in Strzegom, south-west Poland, when a 21-year-old commited suicide.

He is to have killed himself after finding out that a film was circulated on the internet by a 16-year-old girl who gave an in-depth account of their sexual encounters in a local park in the Silesian town. (jb)