Editorial

Few inventions and tools have changed the face of the earth so much and so quickly as the internet. Information is quick, intimately personal as well as unashamedly public and unstoppable by dictatorial regimes or reprehensible censorship.

But the internet is also a wild place, precisely because of its virtues which have another side to them. Dangerous or untrue information can go out very quickly and the sender need not be known. It is a real pity that not all the information you turn up on the internet is equally serious, and some of it is not serious at all, so that when you "surf the net" you have to be doubly careful about your sources.

You are offered ready information, prizes you never dreamt of, friendship you may have difficulty finding elsewhere and sights beyond those the dignified world would ever bring to your eyes.

The very wildness of the internet should teach all its users from the tenderest age not to believe everything they see or hear, to choose friends with great caution, to be wary of seemingly generous promises and to engage in chat only with the utmost prudence - and never to accept appointments with people unknown. Chat groups are the main tool for abusers of children while advertisers target the very young directly, not always to their own good.

The internet, however, is a powerful and useful tool for education. We cannot do without it. All we can do is to teach ourselves and our children the old virtues of being selective, avoiding "bad friends" with gifts and practising to say no to ourselves.

Nevertheless, parents worry about the safety of the internet for their young children and wonder if there is anything they can do. There is - apart from instilling the old virtues just mentioned.

An agreement aimed at making the internet safe and challenging for children has just been signed between the IT Ministry and the UK-based Childnet International, which was set up by its chief executive, Nigel Williams, in 1995. Childnet is a registered charity which was also commissioned by the EU to pave the way for its action plan on the internet's use and abuse.

The two-year agreement, signed by IT Minister Austin Gatt and Mr Williams, will include training, sharing of resources and awareness campaigns among others. Dr Gatt said this organisation had been recommended as the foremost player in the EU and Malta had tapped into its resources to learn from its expertise.

"At the moment," Dr Gatt said, "Malta has the highest penetration of computers in primary and secondary schools, higher than that in the UK and Germany." The government has invested very wisely.

One result of the agreement is that children in Malta can now join those of 50 other countries and take part in awards intended to develop outstanding, innovative internet projects that directly benefit children worldwide.

While in Malta, Mr Williams met the key players in the local field, among others the police, teachers and IT coordinators to listen to their views, priorities and needs.

The agreement brings to a head a full 18 months of work by the e-Malta Commission which places Childnet International within its overall strategy.

One can only take off one's hat to the minister and his team for their good work in this field.