• The Internet offers multiple truths and variations of information. The ability to critically evaluate the credibility of information and select a reliable source is therefore a crucial media competence.

• Often the form of communication on the Internet has a private tone. An important media competence is the ability to keep personal information private in an environment that invites you to share private thoughts and details.

• The new multimedia environment combines many forms of communication; image, sound, text and structure. To be able to read and understand new media, one must be able to read image and form as well as text and word on the same level.

• The Internet holds the potential for immediate publication to a large scale of recipients. This characteristic of the Internet calls for developed ethical and moral skills when posting or distributing information on the Internet.

• The basic structure of the Internet is based on the concept of hypertexts. A hypertext is a different form of narrative in which the reader actively structures the course of the text and thus it requires the ability to concentrate, select and focus.

• The Internet contains many possibilities for participating actively in societal process and creating your own media content. Technical competences are important when creating media content, an understanding of one’s recipients is crucial.

According to the CIA World Fact Book there are 604,111,719 Internet users in the world. Recent numbers from the Danish Ministry of Culture (the report DANSKERNES KULTUR- OG FRITIDSAKTIVITETER) show that 56% of Danish young people aged 13- 15 use the Internet every day.

On the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People’s website one can find advice on how to navigate safely on the Internet.