Children and Censorship
By Jane Mitra, Parents Information Network
Parental responsibility for use of the Internet cannot be avoided as an
issue in families. By having a computer with Internet access in a family
area of the home instead of, for example, in a child's bedroom or a workroom,
not only can parents supervise access, they are also on hand to deal with
any problems or queries a child may have.
Another potential benefit is that parents will probably learn more about
the use of the Internet from their children than from anywhere else, so
family use of the Net can be a positive learning experience rather than
a punitive policing of children's activities online.
Censorship of the Internet is not workable or desirable but we do need to
find a way to enforce existing laws on published and broadcast material.
Also, individual users need good filtering software to prevent unwanted
access to material they feel is inappropriate for display on their home
computer.
To make filtering effective, all Web sites need to be rated for content.
It is important that a common standard is adopted so that anyone wanting
to screen sites will always know exactly what is likely to be screened out.
Newsgroups should, ideally, have a similar rating system to Web sites. Although
this is not possible at the moment, efforts must be made to devise a solution
to the technical problems involved.
The whole issue of what is acceptable on the Internet should be discussed
and explored with all members of a family, particularly as children are
more likely to co-operate with a code they have helped to develop. They
should be encouraged to share their experiences with their parents or guardians
so that any online text, image or sound which they find uncomfortable can
be followed up by parents. One channel of complaint which we would advise
parents to use, if the need arises, is through their Internet service provider.
Jane Mitra, Parents Information Network
Parents Information Network PINLIFT@aol.com
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