The Importance Of Internet Censorship

Most who argue against censorship believe that it goes against a person’s right to freedom of speech. Within this argument, most people wonder “just when, and on what grounds, the state is justified in using its coercive powers to limit the freedom of individuals” (West). When thinking in this mindset, individuals tend to antagonize the government, because they come to believe that it suppresses their individuality and fail to consider the fact that it unites people who share its similar beliefs. As a result of the recent spike in technology and use of the Internet, the public must continually alter its definition of freedom of speech and expression. As the media offers more and more methods of communication, many of which are relatively self-regulated by users, more methods of expression develop, which may render other forms of expression obsolete, or even socially unacceptable (Qazi). Without understanding how much freedom of speech one is entitled to, one may never hope to defend that freedom if it ever comes under attack. Because technology develops so quickly that one definition will hardly suffice for a short period of time, people will find it increasingly difficult to understand how much right to expression they are allowed and will therefore fight for any and all that they may attain, never considering the benefits of censorship in the slightest. In America especially, people idealize the idea of democracy, the investigation of truth, and independence (Fieser). In

According to guardchild.com, 17% of teens surveyed stated that they received an email or an online message with photos or words that made them feel uncomfortable, and only 7% of parents were aware of this. In an article titled “The Undercover Parent” by Harlan Coben, it explains about the idea about parents using spyware on their children. Everything a child types can already be seen by the world, even pedophiles or online bullies. Coben supports the idea; however, he feels that showing the article to a child is better because it can lead to a to a conversation about concerns the parents may have. Parents should monitor their children’s online behavior because they want to keep their children safe from cyber bullies and pedophiles.

Facebook, Snapchat, Kik, Twitter, Instagram, and gaming sites are all good until something bad happens. Author Harlan Coben writer of “The Undercover Parent”, believes parents should monitor their children's software. Even though children find software useful, parents should monitor their kids software because children can be cyber bullied. Children can also be in danger of pedophiles .

¨The Undercover Parent¨ (March 16, 2008) is a news article written by Harlan Coben that claims parents should sit down with their children and address the possibility of concerns the parents may have about Internet safety and let them know that there is a likelihood that spyware will be installed on their computer. I both agree and disagree with Coben’s claims.

Many teens are in real danger every day while using the internet and parents don't even know it. Jimmy a 14 year old, who talks to Bubbles the Clown on online chats does not know that he is actually a 55 year old man. Bubbles says “lets meet up” and Jimmy thinks it's safe, but Bubbles ends up kidnapping Jimmy. In Harlan Coben's article, “The Undercover Parent,” he informatively explains that computer spyware is a good idea to help protect teens from the dangers of the internet. The computer software allows parents to see everything their child does on the internet. Coben agrees that it is not right to use it to be nosy in a teen’s life. But Parents are there to be a “safety net” and nothing more. I agree with Coben; Parents should consider

Carolyn Hax's seems to be a very experienced adult that understands how it feels to have your Internet activity watched by your parents but also knows the risks that can happen if your parents don't. Just by this and what she writes in her advice column makes me agree with her on what she wrote. There are three things that I strongly agree on with her. First, is that you should check on your kids every once in a while, I think this is critical because it is your job as a parent to protect your child, also this is one way to let them know you are watching over them and to give them some freedom. Second, I also agree on when she says “Having a parent catch your inappropriate exchange is better than having a school administrator, future employer

I agree with part of this, parents should treat the internet more like the real world, however they should tone it up a little with the internet but tone it down a little in the real world. Kids need to learn how to be independent, watching over them like this does not teach independence, in fact it completely destroys it.

President Roosevelt once mentioned “we cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future” (1 Roosevelt). Indeed, parents cannot always provide the optimal environment for their children; however, parents can empower children to become prepared and civilized adults. Coben asserts in The Undercover Parent that computer spyware allows parents to protect their children from potential dangers of the web. In his writing, Coben establishes a boundary between parental concern and irresponsible meddling to address concerns regarding online privacy. He explicitly states it is a parent’s duty to be the “safety net” of their children, where spyware is an indispensable connection to the wired world of adolescents

Children’s innocence must be protected by censorship. The debate on whether censorship is beneficial to society often compiles to a few main reasons. Subjects like freedom of speech, women’s rights, and children’s innocence is brought into question when discussing censorship. It is an important debate because what is censored influences societal beliefs of what is right and wrong. It decides what truths are revealed publicly. Some people think censorship is beneficial because it supposedly protects children, but it is actually useless because it underestimates children’s tolerance, witholds information, oversexualizes women, and sugarcoats the truth.

First of all, if a parent is found “snooping” on their child it can break a necessary trust, If I found someone watching my every move online, I would start to distrust them and maybe feel distrusted. That trust is important because it will cause the child to not want to be with their guardian.

The internet is a powerful resource and tool for many people today. It is an advantage for students who use it for their schoolwork or for adults working on their job. However, the internet is filled with disgusting content that children have access to everyday. Violence, bullying, pornography, and sex trafficking are among the many parts of this issue. Parents already have the challenge of raising their children, so figuring out which websites to censor should not be something they need to worry about. The internet should be censored for violent and sexual content because of the effects that violent media and early exposure to sexually explicit content has on children, while preventing various unfavorable behaviors as a result.

There’s a big difference between a loving and a nosy parent. Both care about their kids but show it differently and when it comes to kids using the internet, both go about different ways on making sure they're safe online. I personally know many kids who just seem to not care about the things they do or post online. Our youth are constantly unaware of the dangers around them, mostly when using the internet, therefore parent need to step up and be more attentive to what their kids do online by monitoring what they do online and build better relationships with their kids.

“This legislation grew out of the fact that by 1998 roughly ten million American children had access to the Internet, and at the same time, studies indicated that children were unable to understand the potential effect of revealing their personal information online and parent failed to monitor their children’s use of the Internet.” (Koby)

Some parents are not aware of dangers of internet that brings to their children particularly making friends through internet. For example, their children might get cheated with someone else on internet and their children will not tell what happen to them when they encounter danger. According to BBC News, a 47 year old man defrauded a 13 year old girl online and asked to meet face to face. Luckily, the girl’s mother found out beforehand or else her daughter might be in danger. From this news, we can see that there internet friends are not always honest and they are more likely to consider as un-trustful strangers. Therefore, parents should concern more about their children, teach them about the dangers of making friends on internet, and avoid them from going out with a stranger.

Internet censorship is developing far and wide and influences us, regardless that as United States citizens, we have additional technological opportunities than what many other nations do. Numerous Americans underestimate the opportunities that living in the United States permits us. Whether we are sending electronic mail, posting on our social media pages, or seeking out the latest news, we are ensured the opportunity of self-expression and an inexhaustible amount of information right at our fingertips. Censorship takes control of people's expression, and many countries, governments, and leaders support it for this reason. Internet Censorship in the United States in comparison to different nations brings to light the global and ethical issue regarding the basic human rights of education, communication, and freedom.