Principles for action Realism - Commercial companies involved in the information industry tend to overstate the benefits and safety of their systems, and play down the dangers for children. Some journalists and voluntary groups have tended to exaggerate the risks and highlight these with little reference to the benefits. Helping children requires us to make an honest assessment of the very real dangers and the equally real advantages of information networks. Continuing research on current and future threats to children is essential. Arguments as to who is responsible tend to lead to inaction or insufficient action.
Children have an enormous capacity for innovation, but they are vulnerable to exploitation.
While parents have a primary responsibility for their children, protective and enabling actions by all parts of society will ensure the maximum benefit from global information networks for children. The industry has a special responsibility to protect and help children, as it stands to gain financially from their use of networks. International action - information networks are now truly global. But of all those with a stake in the information society only individual commercial companies have effective global decision making structures. Governments and law enforcement agencies seek to cooperate with mixed effectiveness.