The online restrictions trying to help prevent children from looking at inappropriate material on the internet has been the subject of controversy for some time. Whenever I see a screen that asks me to type in my date of birth so I can access a site, I begin to laugh. There is nothing to stop a minor from typing in a fake birthday so they can access information. This kind of restriction is an absolute joke.
Other restrictions, like asking for personal information (i.e. info. from your i.d., social security, address, etc.) is also a joke. You can fake this information, but if the site actually checks a person's i.d. or social security number, then people are going to be very weary of going on to those sites; people do not want to give out their personal information on the internet for obvious privacy and safety reasons.
I remember watching television a couple of years ago and I saw an advertisement for the V-Chip. The V-chip allows parents to block programming on their televisions that they don’t want their children to watch. Television programs are now given a rating according to a system established by the television broadcast industry. The rating is encoded with the program before it comes on the air. Using the remote control, parents can program the chip to block shows with ratings indicating that the program content may be inappropriate for children.
A V-Chip for the internet would be a great way to shield our youth from the disturbing content normally found in it. In fact, today there is internet filters that act as V-Chips. Internet filters are configurable software programs that will block access to certain websites. A client filter is setup on your computer, and blocks that computer from loading certain web pages. These filters work in another way as well: server filter is implemented by your internet service provider (ISP) and can be configured to block web sites on the server’s end, before they even get to your computer. Programs such as Net Nanny, Cyber Patrol, and K9 Web Protection are examples of internet filter software programs.
In the end, it all comes down to one thing: parenting. Like I said in an earlier blog about the Korean boy who was addicted to online gaming, it is the parent's responsibility to protect their kids from corrupt and inappropriate things. Every kid is as curious as a cat; they want to absorb as much information as possible. But during their childhood, the fear lies in retaining all of that garbage. If a robber comes into your house and tries to take your kid, you'll obviously protect them. So if some wierdo is trying to steal information from your kid or some website is trying to expose questionable material, PROTECT your kids.
When they are old enough and mature enough to handle those types of things, then they can do whatever they want. But until that time, let's take care of our children. And it starts with initiative, like acquiring the necessary software to block bad content. We now live in the age of the internet; teaching our kids about it and protecting them from it should be a primary priority because the internet isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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I agree! Parents should absolutely be in charge of what their children look at on the Internet. If they are not, like you said, then they should not be allowed to go onlinen until they can control themselves and not look at inappropriate things. However, the problem becomes when parents blame teachers for increasing their childrens' curiousity and vice-versa. Authority figures need to take control. They both have a responsibility as mentors. It's time they started acting like it.
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