Twenty million children are expected to become members of a virtual world by 2011, up from 8.2 million today, according to eMarketer figures cited by the New York Times on Monday.
For most of these children, even if their internet skills develop in a matter of days and outshine their parents' painstaking longer-term efforts to keep up with technology, the internet is not a safe place for them to roam unguided.
The few more days of the Christmas holidays are very likely to be spent surfing the internet. In between family outings, unwrapping presents and rainy days, much of the holidays may have been similarly spent visiting chatrooms, talking to peers on messengers, and browsing websites.
And as assessment and examination time approaches, students may have been putting in more online time to research and complete school projects, and to read material in connection with their studies and homework.
Yet, how many parents know whether their child has made a new online friend, met a stranger in real life after having chatted with him/her online, or has been exposed to inappropriate or indecent content?
The shocking 2005 Survey On The Use Of Internet Among Students, which was published by NSO at a time when the rates of internet access were already very high (between 68.6 per cent of Year 4 to 6 pupils, to 91.7 per cent of students attending Form 3 to 5), had revealed that from over 3,000 students who had been interviewed, 282 students had met strangers they had encountered in a chatroom. Thirty-five of them were seven to 11-year-olds, whereas more than 50 of these students met the strangers unaccompanied. It was also reported that children spent more time on the internet and more time chatting than their parents actually thought.
Last year, between June and December, Agenzija Appogg reported to have received around 12 reports of potential child abuse over the internet per month, through its Internet Hotline service.
However, these statistics only reveal the incidents which the children have talked about. We may never know what other experiences remain untold.
Despite the dangers, these are not meant to portray the internet as negative and therefore should not scare parents into preventing their children from being online. The internet offers a wealth of knowledge. It is an excellent tool and offers unparalleled potential to educate people regardless of geographical boundaries. The dangers posed should not bar anyone from untapping its potentials.
The number of initiatives to promote a safer internet for children is encouraging. There is also plenty of filtering software that block or limit the amount of content which is unsuitable for young people. Yet, a lot of the damage on children can be prevented simply by them being supervised by an adult.
The fact that a child may have become an expert at handling browsers or sending e-mails is not a valid excuse for allowing him/her to spend unguided time on a computer. Neither is banning children from using the internet an adequate solution, as the internet is an important source of information from which they can learn.
Childnet International, with whom the IT Ministry signed a second agreement last October to provide licence for use of all Childnet's kidsmart training materials - an internet safety kit for students, safer internet resources for teachers, and a train the trainers programme - says that although filtering software can help to block a lot of inappropriate material, it is not 100 per cent effective. It says that no software is a substitute for good parental involvement.
"It's therefore important to help educate your children about how to behave online and discuss problems which they may have. It helps to keep the computer in a family room - not tucked away in a bedroom."
Parents are encouraged to take an interest in what the child would like to read about online and the people the child would like to get in contact with. If parents feel unconfident and overwhelmed by their child's apparent expertise, parents are encouraged to ask their child to teach them how to chat and how to use instant messenger programmes.
Educating children on the safe use of the internet is encouraged also because many children can unavoidably find themselves browsing the internet unattended. A determined child may also be able to find a way around filtering software and browse the sites he/she wants.
Teaching a child how to use the internet properly is like teaching a child how to wear a safety belt or how to cross the road. Armed with the appropriate "software", despite its shortcomings, children should be encouraged how to be "smart" rather than being banned from using a computer or dictating a series of "dos and don'ts".
Dos and don'ts
The following SMART Rules have been written by Childnet International especially for children aged eight to 14.
Childnet says: "Discussing the potential dangers with your children needs care and sensitivity and involves helping them to see for themselves how they might get into difficulty. Most children will respond more positively if you encourage them to be smart or "cool" on the internet rather than giving them a list of "dos and don'ts".
• Staying safe involves being careful and not giving out your name, address, mobile phone no., school name or password to people online.
• Meeting someone you have contacted in cyberspace can be dangerous. Only do so with your parent's/carer's permission, and when they can be present.
• Accepting e-mails or opening files from people you don't really know or trust can get you into trouble - they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
• Someone online may be lying about who they are, and information you find on the internet may not be reliable.
• Tell your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.