Once you have an Internet connection you are able to access information by web-browser, email, chat, peer-to-peer, mobiles and even Internet telephones. Access is facilitated by the use of various pieces of software. A web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape or Safari can be used to access websites, and may also be used to access certain other services, such as web-email or web-chat.

While the web can be a useful source of information, there are some risks. Some content on the Internet is clearly unsuitable for young people, such as pornography. hate material, or information that encourages illegal activities. While it may be easy to judge the suitability of some web pages, other pages may look appropriate on the surface, but the actual content may be unreliable or unsuitable. Some commercial sites may be inappropriate for young people. There is some question of reliability, credibility and validity of information on some websites. Parents should also evaluate the content of a website, and children should be taught to critically assess the materials they find.

Anyone can publish materials on the Internet, and whilst this makes the medium very powerful, it also means that not all information is true. Everyone who publishes should accept responsibility for the truthfullness and context of their information; however this is not always done. Be cautious about accepting information from the Internet as truthful, unless you know who produced it, and that they can be trusted to be truthful.

If you encounter content which you believe is offensive or illegal, you can report it; further details can be found in our Report Abuse section.

Some additional general guidance on how the Internet works and can be used safey can be found at: The Parents Centre

Cyberspace Research Unit, en.wikipedia.org, BECTA