Censorship on the Internet

There are many views concerning censoring the internet and content that children may be exposed to, but with the vast applications of the internet some change must come to pass. One of the most used excuses for having access to the internet is to research information and keep in touch with others. Having control over the material that is made available to children via the internet is one option that parents should consider because this is something that can protect their young ones from danger. Censorship of information in public libraries and in instances dealing with children should be a no-brainer in which harmful content is blocked.

Censoring information that can be accessed by children or in public institutions such as libraries has become a large issue. Conflicts with who should choose what information is censor and the freedom of speech or press are rising. Some believe is information is censored that this would or could be come a issue of violating an individual's freedom of speech or press. While this author agrees that this could become an issue, this author believes this is a matter of "for the greater good". The violation freedom of speech and freedom of the press are issues that arising over this issue but we must consider the nature or intent of the information that is being passed from one viewer to another. Information that may be suitable for a mature audience may be horribly inappropriate for younger viewers. The line should be drawn for freedom of speech or press when it endangers others. If censoring the potentially harmful information can save individuals, including children who may not know what he or she is looking at, from being offended, harmed, or disturbed in some way then it was worth it.

Information made available to those that take advantage of public computers in public libraries should be censored to prevent misuse of public equipment. Some people who may abuse this internet access are those who may not want others to know what he or she is look at on the web or are not allowed to view such content at home. One main issue concerning this censorship is the access by minors of pornographic material, even if it was or is unintentional. With the vast amount of information available on the internet there is no way that individuals can hold librarians responsible for the information accessed on public computers without the placement of censors through the use of filters. "There is a movement afoot to require all public libraries to censor information by using software "filters" that restrict Internet usage on computers within the library. For example, these filters are supposed to block pornography" (Hahn, H., 2008, ¶14). We, as parents and responsible citizens, should defend censoring of dangerous or harmful information that may cause harm to others.

Censorship can be a positive thing. One example of censorship that has made an impact on the choices of children and underage youth is that of removing tobacco logos and alluring ads that gave off the impression that smoking was "cool' has seemed to lower the number of youths that smoke. Taking that concept into consideration, this censoring of harmful information on the internet that is available to children should make a difference as well. This is one form of censoring that has proved to be beneficial and there is no reason to think that doing so for information on the internet should or could be any different. Censoring of "bad" information would be one more step in the right direction to keeping children safe and allowing them to lead a healthy and or productive life.

Reference

Hahn, H. (2008). Censorship of the Internet. Retrieved July 11, 2008 from, web site: http://www.harley.com/writing/censorship-of-the-internet.html