Ricky Martin Tapes Videos for Internet Safety Education

Ricky Martin is an interesting guy. For all his fame, sexy persona, hip swiveling, candle melting, livin' la vida loca ways, he spends a lot of his time trying to help other people.

His Ricky Martin Foundation was formed to help fight the global child trafficing industry, as well as promoting other child welfare and educational programs. He's a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. And his newest job is tackling the issue of the dangers inherent to children on the internet.

Consider these facts:

• Since 1986, child pornography images on the internet have increased 1500%
• Currently there are 4 million children surfing the web (7 - 17).
• 29% say they would freely give out their home address
• Recent estimates state that 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given moment.

So, today, the Ricky Martin Foundation and Microsoft Latin America , in a partnership called Navega Protegido (site is in Spanish) have announced that Martin will be starring in three videos being filmed to promote online safety for children. Each one will be in English, Spanish and Portuguese and contain educational tools for parents, teachers and children about internet risks.

I have to confess that for a moment I wondered if Martin's experience with boy-band "Menudo" inspired his tireless campaign. Naah. But I bet that getting to know his young fanbase, did. Kudos to both Martin and Microsoft.