Editorials

Young netizens need a safe environment

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-08 07:28

China has the largest pool of young Internet users in the world. China Internet Network Information Center reports that there were more than 4.2 million Internet users under the age of 10 by the end of June 2010, accounting for 1.1 percent of the nation's total netizens. And the number of teen Internet surfers has doubled since 2008.

This rise in young Internet users should sound a warning to adults that they need to establish Internet safety for juniors.

The amount of resources and information the Internet contains is astounding. With the help of information collected on the net children can gain vast knowledge. With just a few keystrokes and the click of a button, a young person can call up information for their study, make new friends or discover new hobbies.

But, for all the undoubted benefits the Internet offers young people, in the form of educational resources and social connections, there are also great dangers and unknowns associated with a medium that is growing by several billion web pages every day.

Left alone, children can easily misuse this wonderful knowledge bank, and without rules or regulations, children can surreptitiously discover how to commit crimes, see things they ought not to see and chat with people of questionable character.

Schools have the ability to educate students about appropriate online behavior, protect them from online predators and promote parents involvement in their children's Internet usage. Preparing families for what they might encounter on the Internet will make it easier to stop online predators in their tracks.

Parents and children together can work to make the Internet a positive experience.

But to ensure their children do not abuse Internet access, parents need to educate themselves about the net. This makes monitoring work.