gilbert

Internet filtering will NOT solve the problems that most people are worried about. To believe that it will is to lack understanding of the nature of the internet. I have worked assessing children with emotional distress. During a six month term, I was alarmed by the extent of internet bullying, and risk that particularly vulnerable children were exposed to. The most vulnerable children are at risk because of the combination of the content they are exposed to, and the incapacity of their parents (via long working hours, or emotional inavailability) to sit down with their children and listen to their problems, concerns, joys, and general life experiences. The problem is that chat rooms cannot be filtered. Predatory older persons, and bullying youngsters can pose as anyone in a chat room forum, establish trust and be at risk of harm to vulnerable young persons. The people who are concerned about these things are not wowsers, but tapping into a real problem. My point is that internet filtering WILL NOT solve this problem. There is no way to filter this kind of problem. The only solution as parents is to provide constant support and supervision of their children, and establish a trust relationship where they feel confident their children will bring them their worries, or avoid contact with unknown persons. From a governance role, where the internet can be monitored is to provide an ongoing forum for monitoring, reporting and prosecuting predatory internet behaviour. May I repeat that internet filtering will NOT solve the problems that most people are worried about. To believe that it will is to lack understanding of the nature of the internet.