UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday called for concerted action to tackle and prevent online violence, cyberbullying and digital harassment against children and young people on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.

UNICEF made the call after a recent poll of young people, which received more than 1 million responses from more than 160 countries, and suggestions from a series of student-led #ENDviolence Youth Talks held around the world.

"We've heard from children and young people from around the globe and what they are saying is clear: the Internet has become a kindness desert," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore in a press release. "That's why this Safer Internet Day, UNICEF is inviting everyone -- young and old -- to be kind online, and calling for greater action to make the Internet a safer place for everyone."

Cyberbullying can cause profound harm as it can quickly reach a wide audience, and can remain accessible online indefinitely, virtually "following" its victims online for life, said UNICEF.

"Thirty years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the creation of the World Wide Web, it is time for governments, families, academia and the private sector to put children and young people at the center of digital policies," said Fore. Enditem