Hey! Get Away From that Web Page!

What do you get when you mix the most revolutionary advancement of the modern age with a curious, innocent child? You get the questions, concerns and even outrage that only the internet can bring. These effects are compounded by the fact that today’s children have access to material they never had before. How do we handle the inevitable difficulties of children viewing material they shouldn’t? It’s a stressful subject for any parent, teacher or librarian. The problem isn’t as bleak as some would portray it, though.

The most wonderful aspect of the internet is freedom. For me, it’s the technical manifestation of the first amendment. Anyone with a little time on their hands can become a “published” writer, photographer or musician. This freedom has given rise to new sources for our information (blogs) and entertainment (podcasts). It has brought us more information than we can possibly process. So much, in fact, that you can know about anything you want, anywhere, anytime. In the information age, knowledge has become our greatest asset. Google’s stock price alone is proof of the value we put on not just our information, but our ability to find and use it.

On the other hand you have children, whose very nature makes them ripe for the ingestion of information. Most of us have seen children sit at a computer browsing the internet. They become immersed at the infinite subjects and details at their disposal. Jaws open, wide-eyed, they click, click, click until they’re told to stop. It’s such an admirable quality; the pure desire to learn. Yet, should they be allowed to learn anything? Certainly not. Much of the internet is too disgusting for a child eyes.

Any of us with internet access has stumbled across something we didn’t want to. Adult content hides in the most bizarre places. There’s a reason – it’s immensely profitable. Once again, the economics of the internet bring us things we don’t want -spam, porn and pop-ups, oh my! It’s not hard to find adult content, but most children aren’t looking for it. They find it when they’re looking for something else and mistype a word. Or maybe it happens when they click an ad for something that brings them to a page that was misrepresented. Regardless, it happens and it’s an unavoidable part of being an internet user.

How, then, do we handle this inevitable situation? Some have pushed for the movement of all adult content to a separate Top Level Domain (TLD). Yet the .xxx domain has yet to materialize. I doubt it would help – it’s not as if the junk we’re seeing now is accurately labeled.

Then there are computer programs that will block objectionable material. These programs have become fairly robust and user-friendly. The downside is they’re not perfect and often leave parents with a false sense of security. Computers leave us disappointed fairly often, and this is another place the trend continues. I’m not saying the software is useless; simply that it is not a foolproof solution.

Some parents have approached the problem by restricting or even banning internet access for their children. The theory goes that if the kids can’t use the internet, or can only use it with a parent in the room, then they’ll be OK. That’s fine, except we’re taking away the greatest source of information available; a source that is becoming increasingly important in their lives. Many kids need internet access for their schoolwork, and they certainly need to understand it as they enter the workforce and their adult lives.

The answer is a low-tech one – education. By working with kids to help them understand how the internet works and why these sites seem to “pop up,” we can help them avoid the danger. We all need perspective in order to react appropriately, and this situation is no different. Kids that know their parents’ object to these sites are less likely to linger at them when they do find their way onto their screens.

This problem is not just an internet problem, but rather a symptom of a shift in society. We see adult themes creeping further and further into our daily lives where children are sure to see them. Television, movies and magazines are pushing violence, sex, drugs, alcohol and smoking more now then ever. The internet certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on these subjects and they’re likely to get worse before they get better.

Then what are we to do? Legislation would destroy the beauty of the internet. Other methods are either ineffective or downright harmful to a child’s progress. All that’s left is to talk to the kids. To give them the tools they need to learn and grow along with the knowledge of how to use those tools. Then, and only then, can we turn our children loose without fear. The internet is a dirty place –send them out with some hand sanitizer.

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