A digital camera is a very delicate piece of equipment. The camera body, especially the lens, can be easily damaged through rough handling and scratches.
They are not "delicate" pieces of equipment. If they were, no one would make the investment. Do you really believe that pros baby their cameras? Do you think that day-to-day use by amateurs is done delicately? If they were delicate, no one would buy one. These cameras can take a remarkable amount of abuse. Yeah, the case will get scratched up but that has no effect on the images themselves. Short of taking it into a raging sandstorm or dropping it from 6 feet onto a concrete surface, the camera will keep on running.

Also make sure that you put on the lens cap when not shooting pictures.
Yes. Too bad so many people ignore the lens cap or use an image-degrading UV filter for "protection." A lens hood is even better, protection and makes the image better.

The other thing to look out for is the temperature under which the camera is stored. You should always keep the camera out of sun. One mistake that newbies always make is to store the digital camera in the extremely hot temperatures (e.g. the car boot). Don’t ever do that. It’s also important not to store the camera in extremely cold temperatures either.
Heat is a definate problem. The temperatures inside a vehicle can rise as high as 130-140 degrees or more on a summer day. Cold is not a problem at all. I have used and stored all sorts of cameras over the last 30 years in temperatures so cold the transmission oil in my car was frozen (hint, park in 1st gear!). The only caveat is the usual dealing with condensation when bring the camera back to a warm place.


When storing your digital camera, you need to keep it away from magnets of any form. Magnets will affect the circuitry of your digital camera and should not be placed near it.
No. Magnets encountered in normal life have absolutely no effect on digital cameras or memory cards. Other than not giving your camera an MRI, magnetism is a non-issue.

Another point to note is to use silica gel to combat condensation. Many electronic products come with silica gel capsules. Keep these and put them in your digital camera storage box. It will prevent condensation.
Condensation occurs when the temperature changes from cold and/or dry to warm and/or humid. Silica gel doesn't act fast enough nor does it have the capacity to prevent problems. The best solution is to put the camera into a plastic bag when moving from a dry to a humid environment. Let the temperature and humidity equalize before taking the camera out.

The batteries of the camera should also be removed if you intend to store the camera away for a long time. The reason is that batteries can have corrosive leaks over time.
Batteries don't leak the way they used to back in the 1950s and 1960s. In fact, leaks are extremely rare these days and usually due to gross mishandling. But removing the batteries is still a good idea as they will tend to drain a tiny bit when left in the camera. It also prevent the camera from being turned on accidentally.

You also need to protect those delicate components. In particular, watch out for the memory card (whether it is a CompactFlash, SD or MMC card). Handle them with care because they are small and delicate.
Wrong! memory cards are actually very tough. I have had memory cards dunked in muddy polluted rivers multiple times. Rinse them off, let them air dry, and you are back in business. I accidentally stepped on one and cracked it. I still got the images off of it.

Camera panels are also very delicate. In my Canon PowerShot S500, the panel for the USB connect and the battery is a tad flimsy. I make sure I handle it with care whenever I open it.
Good grief, here is "delicate" again. I have read all the reviews and the complaints about "flimsy" doors on every digital camera I have ever purchased. They may not look like much but they aren't going to fall apart or fall off with everyday use. You do not have to baby the camera. By the way, using a card reader is vastly superior to using the cameras USB port.

Once again, some good advice but you seem to have a dearth of experience dealing with digital cameras. Its nice to try to help, but you have to get it right.