Nick Smith MP has welcomed the Government’s action to protect children online from sexual predators after a successful NSPCC campaign.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the Government will be bringing forward legislation to make it always illegal to intentionally send a sexual message to a child.

The NSPCC “Flaw in the Law” campaign, backed by Mr Smith, saw more than 50,000 people sign the petition to pressure the Government to recognise the problem.

Now with discussions to amend the Serious Crime Bill underway, the Blaenau Gwent MP said it was a fantastic victory for a worthy cause.

“As a former campaign manager for the NSPCC, I know all too well how awful things such as online grooming can be”, he said.

“The fact that predators could escape punishment by not escalating their grooming to a visit in real life is absurd. Abuse takes many forms and sexual messages is one of them.

“The fact they are listening and acting is commendable and is proof of real democracy in action.”

Mr Smith will now be continuing to back the NSPCC after they announced their next action in the fight against online abuse – launching a tool for parents that provides information on the top fifty social networking sites, based on reviews from young people and Mumsnet.

They hope the tool will help further empower parents with the tools and confidence to help keep their children safe online.

Mr Smith said: “It’s about being vigilant and giving us all the best chance to protect our children from harm in their lives.

“For my part, I’ll be continuing to support the good work of the NSPCC and following the amendments to the Serious Crime Bill closely.

“If they do not stand up scrutiny, then I will be the first to challenge the Government on why they aren’t keeping their promise to protect our children.”