A territory-wide survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups found that respondents generally adopted a positive attitude towards Internet Usage, with 96 per cent of respondents agreed that Net-surfing enriched one's knowledge. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents said that they enjoyed Net-surfing and that chatting through ICQ provided one channel to make friends.

The survey found that most respondents held positive values and had behaved themselves with respect to self-discipline on the Net. With regard to the experience of respondents while on-line, the majority of them had never used other people's passwords without consent (94%) nor had they ever hacked into the computer systems of other people (92%). With regard to their values, as many as 88 per cent of respondents agreed that users on the Net should concern themselves with laws or legal consequences, or should not be free from responsibility. Nevertheless, around 10 per cent of respondents thought otherwise, believing that rules and laws did not pertain to users on the Net. This is a serious wake-up call to society.

The survey noted that one out of four respondents had been invited to personally meet other ICQ users, while around 15 per cent admitted that they had taken the initiative to personally meet other ICQ users. The findings suggest that the Internet has become a popular channel for young people to make friends.

Yet, the survey also found that respondents were divided when it came to using ICQ, especially with respect to honesty. When asked whether it was right to provide false personal information through ICQ, some 45 per cent of respondents agreed, but a similar percentage of respondents thought otherwise. With regard to telling lies through ICQ, 64 per cent of respondents believed that it was immoral to do so. However, a similar percentage of respondents believed that it was a means of self-protection.

The survey also found that there was a discrepancy between what respondents thought of as respecting copyright and what they actually practiced when they were on-line. An overwhelming majority, or 94 per cent of respondents, believed that copyright should be respected while on-line. However, more than half had tried to cite information on the Net without sources. The finding suggests that respondents adopted are latively relaxed attitude towards using information from Net.

The survey was commissioned by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and conducted by Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups from 7 to 21September 1999. A total of 658 full-time students studying in Form One or above were successfully interviewed.

In response to the survey findings, the Federation said that in the near future Internet would become a necessary means of learning and living. In view of this, the Federation encouraged young people to familiarize themselves with using the Internet. Moreover, as it was not easy to apply sets of rules to regulate individual behavior on the Net, the spirit of self-discipline and the observance of rules and laws were particularly important. In addition, young people should keep vigilant on the possible dangers of making friends with strangers through the Net. Finally, the Federation takes this opportunity to introduce a “Youth Charter on the Net” to the public. The Charter was drafted by a group of young members of the Federation, indicating their determination to protect the proper usage of the Internet, as well as their desire to develop a culture of truth, respect and freedom of expression on the Net.

Finally, the Federation calls on parents to pay more attention to their children’s on-line activities.