EEND 681 Module 3 Discussion
Implications of CIPA:
Hello Class,
For this weeks discussion we were to read and critique the article To Surf and Protect: The Children's Internet Protection Act Policies Materially Harmful to Minors and a Whole Lot More. Although I am very familiar with internet filters an educator and a parent of two young children, I was unaware of the legal documents in place. After reading the article, which really came down to a history lesson on protecting minors in the courts, I feel like CIPA benefits minors the majority of the time.
My knowledge of the legal system, ammendments and laws in general is admittingly poor. In fact, I often find myself disagreeing with use of the ammendments in arguments or policy as a blanket statement. It was interesting to see how the first ammendment is interpreted and how it's vague nature can lead to some interesting discussions in our legal system. With the introduction of the internet, it added a lot of new challenges in regards to the first ammendment as accessing content is literally a click away at all times. I found it interesting that the courts differentiated between media on the internet and other sources because on the internet users make an affirmative choice to select the media they interact with. Actually, that is where the problem lies and the question the courts had to wrestle with. Do minors have the ability and maturity to make safe choices in the content they choose to interact with online, and do adults or public institutions have the right/resposibility to step in and make that choice for minors?
For me, as a parent and educator the answer to the above questions are easy. Students and minors are often not capable of making these decisions. We need to not only provide support in developing these decision making skills, but also make sure systems are in place to correct/block students from making poor decisions. I think it is positive that schools and Libraries are required to install software that filters the content that minors can view. I also do not think this infringes upon our first ammendment rights. I like how the article mentions that in most cases adults can apply or ask for a permit to get around the filters. I also found some of the examples like searching for "breast" when researching breast cancer or searching for someones name that has a "blacklisted" word in it can cause issues. I have ran into these issues myself and with students. I keep reef tanks at home and often my searches are flagged at work because of the work reef (add an "er" at the end). These issues are minor in comparison to protecting our youth from obsene content and I will gladly deal with these issues to make sure students can safely search the internet while at school.
Overall, the article was an interesting history of how the first amendment and internet safety have evolved over the last few decades. I think that CIPA overall is a very useful and positive Act that can help educators and parents monitor what content children interact with on the web. For me, the positives far outweigh any negatives, and believe these laws should continue to evolve with technology to protect and guide our school aged children when interacting with the internet.
Thank you,
Jim Nielsen
Sources:
To Surf and Protect: The Children's Internet Protection Act Policies Materially Harmful to Minors and a Whole Lot More
Hello Class,
For this weeks discussion we were to read and critique the article To Surf and Protect: The Children's Internet Protection Act Policies Materially Harmful to Minors and a Whole Lot More. Although I am very familiar with internet filters an educator and a parent of two young children, I was unaware of the legal documents in place. After reading the article, which really came down to a history lesson on protecting minors in the courts, I feel like CIPA benefits minors the majority of the time.
My knowledge of the legal system, ammendments and laws in general is admittingly poor. In fact, I often find myself disagreeing with use of the ammendments in arguments or policy as a blanket statement. It was interesting to see how the first ammendment is interpreted and how it's vague nature can lead to some interesting discussions in our legal system. With the introduction of the internet, it added a lot of new challenges in regards to the first ammendment as accessing content is literally a click away at all times. I found it interesting that the courts differentiated between media on the internet and other sources because on the internet users make an affirmative choice to select the media they interact with. Actually, that is where the problem lies and the question the courts had to wrestle with. Do minors have the ability and maturity to make safe choices in the content they choose to interact with online, and do adults or public institutions have the right/resposibility to step in and make that choice for minors?
For me, as a parent and educator the answer to the above questions are easy. Students and minors are often not capable of making these decisions. We need to not only provide support in developing these decision making skills, but also make sure systems are in place to correct/block students from making poor decisions. I think it is positive that schools and Libraries are required to install software that filters the content that minors can view. I also do not think this infringes upon our first ammendment rights. I like how the article mentions that in most cases adults can apply or ask for a permit to get around the filters. I also found some of the examples like searching for "breast" when researching breast cancer or searching for someones name that has a "blacklisted" word in it can cause issues. I have ran into these issues myself and with students. I keep reef tanks at home and often my searches are flagged at work because of the work reef (add an "er" at the end). These issues are minor in comparison to protecting our youth from obsene content and I will gladly deal with these issues to make sure students can safely search the internet while at school.
Overall, the article was an interesting history of how the first amendment and internet safety have evolved over the last few decades. I think that CIPA overall is a very useful and positive Act that can help educators and parents monitor what content children interact with on the web. For me, the positives far outweigh any negatives, and believe these laws should continue to evolve with technology to protect and guide our school aged children when interacting with the internet.
Thank you,
Jim Nielsen
Sources:
To Surf and Protect: The Children's Internet Protection Act Policies Materially Harmful to Minors and a Whole Lot More
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