NewsJohn Barnes and Mighty Red welcome local schools to Anfield for Safer Internet Day

The educational event, in partnership with the UK Safer Internet Centre, brought together 15 schools to take part in an assembly and interactive group workshops, with a special guest appearance from club ambassador Barnes.

Safer Internet Day, which is celebrated annually in February, is adopting the theme of 'Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online' for 2023.

Forbes Duff, senior manager, CSR and Red Neighbours at Liverpool FC, said: "We are a proud supporter of Safer Internet Day and have worked together with UK Safer Internet Centre for eight years now to help educate children and young people on the importance of online safety.

"Highlighting the potential risks online is essential in our digital world and equipping children and young people with the skills and knowledge they need to be able to explore and learn online in a happy and safe way is key.

"Having held virtual events for the past two years, we are excited to be welcoming over 200 schoolchildren from 15 of our local schools back to Anfield for a fun and engaging event with a host of exciting activities and a few special guests."

Reds mascot Mighty Red also joined in the sessions and all guests enjoyed a mini-tour of Anfield.

LFC ambassador, John Barnes, added: "Kids are online for in excess of two hours a day and I expect my son is probably double or triple that, and not understanding it is a difficult thing for me as a parent.

"However, I always urge them to come to me or their mother to talk about issues they’re having because there are so many things going on online to our kids that we don’t know about.

"We just have to be open and honest and say if you have any issues whatsoever, don’t be afraid to talk about it. And that’s another reason why Safer Internet Day is so important."