What it can add to our lives is tremendous. We can talk to distant friends and family face to face with webcams, make new friends and find out about any topic at the click of
a button.

For young people, in particular, it offers the opportunity to explore and channel their personalities, whether through social networking sites or by providing them with an unrivalled source of information, not to mention music.

In short, it is impossible to imagine life now without the opportunities and convenience this technology brings.

But, there can be a dangerous side to the net. We are particularly concerned with the way in which the internet can be misused to harm young people. We hear stories of child sex abuse images, paedophiles grooming children in "chat rooms", gambling sites turning a blind eye to underage users with pre-pay cards, bullying and children
being exposed to inappropriate adult content.

That is why the report published by the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee is an important addition to understanding these dangers. It shows promising development in recognising what needs to be done to ensure children and young people are protected while on the internet. Now the real work must follow.

NCH welcomes the recommendations made by the committee, particularly for clear policy to be developed in removing harmful content from websites. It is not acceptable that at present these procedures are not uniform and consistent across the industry, particularly when images are related to child abuse.

We also support a self-regulatory body being set up within the industry; however, this would need complete compliance for it to
be effective.

Recently, Dr Tanya Byron opened a review on behalf of the Government looking at not only the benefits of new technology to children and young people but also the risks. The report took valuable steps towards tackling the issues children's unrestricted access to games and the internet can raise. Following the review's findings, a range of measures have been introduced which look to educate parents, involve teachers and the industry.

As the number of young people using the internet increases so does the need to ensure they are protected when online, particularly when using social networking sites. We can't un-invent this technology, and neither should we wish to, but what we can do is make sure that we do everything in our power to harness the good side while preventing abuse. That is why we have led calls for better safeguards, standards and information campaigns about, for example, internet grooming in chat rooms.

It is also why we produced the Net Smart Rules for young people to ensure they have all the information they need at their fingertips to make the right choices when it comes to using the internet.

We all have a part to play. As ever with new technology, our children are 10 steps ahead when it comes to understanding how things work.
So parents need to arm themselves with knowledge and be vigilant; charities can provide information and tools to help; governments must ensure that legislation keeps apace with developments and the companies producing the technology have a duty to put the necessary safeguards in place.

Parents also need to recognise that they have a responsibility to
monitor the games their children play. Most games carry age consent information and parents need to adhere to these guidelines. But as a lot of games are now accessible online, there needs to be more done by the game industry to ensure content accessible online is appropriate for a younger audience. We would like to see the development of an age verification scheme so children can't access adult content, with the responsibility resting with the providers themselves.

Another example of how children and young people could be vulnerable is the access to the internet by mobile phones. We would urge the committee to take this into consideration and for mobile providers to look at ways in making sure their content is safe for children and young people.

What we now need is the industry to continue to work closely with the Government and ensure the recommendations in the report are listened to. Only by working cooperatively can we really ensure children and young people can be kept safe from harm.

We should never get to a position where people are scared to use the internet and the last thing I would want is for young people to be kept away from this incredibly exciting resource.

So long as we provide our children with the tools they need to keep safe we should be confident that the internet can continue to be a source of empowerment in all our lives.


Paul Moore is strategic director, north, for children's charity NCH. The charity has more information about internet safety at www.nch.org.uk/netsmartrules