INTERNET OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES INTRO

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Taking part in the information society is essential for citizens of all age groups. The
Internet provides great opportunities to improve life for all users. It has positive effects on
education, the working world and economic growth. With easy digitalization and storage of
information, and accessibility through a wide range of devices, the Internet has enormously
increased the information resources available to people.

Children and young people are
often well acquainted with its applications and can benefit from its use tremendously, but
they are also vulnerable. Risks and threats accompany this positive development, often in
parallel to those that already exist in the offline world.
Taking measures to protect minors may help address the problem. As helpful as these
measures might be, however, total reliance on protection strategies has not been effective
in enabling young people to use the Internet responsibly.

The best way to help them stay
out of harm’s way is to empower and educate them on how to avoid or manage risks related
to Internet use. Technologies can play a useful and supportive role in this area, especially
where children and young people are concerned.

UNITS
1. Young people in the virtual world
2. Challenges and risks