Introduction

Opportunities...

The internet offers us more access and opportunities than ever before to find about others and understand what is happening in the world around us. This can be a brilliant opportunity for children and young people to find out what is happening in their town, other parts of the UK and even events on the other side of the world. The internet can be an excellent resource, which can be used in self development, awareness and educational development. For example, you can use the internet to find out what it is like to be a survivor in a community hit by last year's Tsunami or to be caught up in the middle of a conflict.This provides the opportunity to find information, and hear first hand accounts of experiences of world events as they happen.

Learning...

There are many sites which you can use to support children and young people's learning about the world around us or particular topics.Some of the best to look at are those which are linked with recognised organisations and publications off line. Examples of some useful UK sites to look at are provided below:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/index.html
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/education/student/...

There are also many resources which provide additional support for curriculum based school learning. Here are some links below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/search/homework/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/

http://www.channel4.com/learning/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/
http://www.identity-theft.org.uk/index.htm

Sharing Perspectives...

An important part of using the internet for children and young people, is their potential to engage with ideas, views and perspectives from people with various cultural, ethnic, religious and social backgrounds. This also gives children and young people the chance to publish, explore, share and discuss their own ideas and compare these with the experience of what is happenning in the world around them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/globaleyes/...

http://www.tolerance.org

Rights...

It is important to realise that when you are interacting with others online as in real life, you have basic fundamental rights under law such as the Human Rights Act 1998 which ensures that you are entitled to live protected from abuse, discrimination, have a right to privacy and are free to express yourself.

Look at the following links for a summary of your rights:
http://www.yourrights.org.uk/your-rights/...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/946400.stm
http://www.dca.gov.uk/hract/pdf/act/act-studyguide.pdf

Children also have various rights which which mean that they are entitled to live, grow up and develop healthy, safe, protected from abuse or harm and free to express themselves. Under the United Nation's Conventions on the Rights of the Child which applies to anyone aged under 18 years, children can exercise two very important rights for example when using the internet to communicate with others, searching for information or publishing information e.g. on a web page, or on a blog:

Freedom of Expression (Article 13): This means children have the right to find, receive, and share information or ideas with others in any media they choose e.g. in writing, text, print, pictures, art

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 14): This means that children have the right to think, believe and practice whatever religion you choose.

Below are a list sites aimed at giving children and young people advice and information on their sites:
http://www.unicef.org.uk/youthvoice/rights.asp
http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/assets/pdf/...

Responsibilities...

With Rights however also come Responsibilities! As a parent you have a duty to guide your children as to how they should exercise these rights. It is very important to talk to them about what they do online affects others, therefore they have a responsibility to make sure that what they say, publish or do online does not hurt other people or stop them from enjoying their rights.

You should also talk to children and young people about the consequences of not respecting other people's rights. Unfortunately some people may write, publish or say things online which are hurtful, abusive, offensive, hateful or violent towards others.

It is essential that they learn to recognise how others unfairly target particular groups of people because of their gender, beliefs, religious, cultural, ethnic or social background and that they often use methods to try and encourage others to participate in this. It may be useful to get your child to read the Media Literacy section of this site and then discuss ways in which others can use false or misleading information online for example by presenting untrue or incomplete testimony, evidence or reports.

In addition, you may also want to talk to your children about how if they harass or discriminate against others online, there may also be legal consequences to their behaviour.

This section gives some examples of types of web content which can be harmful others and issues relating to this. You may want to talk to your children about these issues.

Responding to Hate at School