More than 400 youngsters from Hong Kong and other places took part in an international conference in Hong Kong to exchange views on recent trends in Internet development and the means of creating a healthy online world.

They came from Australia, Holland, the United Kingdom, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The conference is one of the events under the "Project on Opportunities & Challenges of the Cyber World for Youth Development", jointly organised by the Television & Entertainment Licensing Authority and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups.

Launching the conference at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Francis Ho noted the Internet is a powerful communications platform that connects people from every corner of the world.

"The Internet and World Wide Web could be tools for us to develop, explore and share knowledge, and to pass the wealth of intelligent collaboration to the next generation. It can only be a success if contributors cherish it and act responsibly in building the common garden of knowledge," he said.

Launched in September, the project aims to provide an opportunity for local and overseas youngsters to deliberate on the opportunities and challenges of the online world. Other events organised under the project include a website design competition and an exchange camp.

Global effort needed to fight online crime

The morning session of the conference featured two plenary forums, "The Influence of the Cyber World on Youth Development" and "Fighting Cyber Crime - an International Joint Effort".

Four panel group discussions were held in the afternoon covering the proper use of the Internet; law and management; the influence of the Internet on individuals and society; and online education.