[LINK] Lock up your kids...

[Jan Whitaker]

What I find interesting is that this is out of 
the Institute of Public Affairs, which I believe 
is a conservative think tank. These are John 
Howard's -- um -- friends. More writing on the wall?

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/better-to-be-alert-than-netalarmed/2007/09/15/1189277042177.html
Better to be alert than NetAlarmed
Chris Berg
September 16, 2007

THE internet will kill your children, or something.

At least, that is the message of the Federal 
Government ads plastered on the side of every 
second tram trundling down Swanston Street.

The Government's approach to internet safety has 
all the hyperbole and sensationalism of tabloid 
current affairs programs. This is not surprising. 
Scare campaigns about the dangers of chatting or 
stumbling upon nudity usually have little to do 
with children, and all to do with raising fear in parents. Parents vote.

NetAlert, the initiative that provides those free 
internet filters that were broken within 30 
minutes by a year 10 student, will do little to 
stop children finding pornography online if they 
want to. And the mandatory internet filtering 
that the Government has announced will be expensive and mostly unworkable.

In a further step, last Thursday the Government 
announced an investigation into sex offenders and 
pedophiles on social networking sites such as 
MySpace and Facebook. But the policy options 
raised by the Government — such as segregating 
adults and children online, mandatory age 
verification, or requiring parental approval 
before signing up to sites — will be as 
ineffective as NetAlert. Bureaucratic obstacles 
are no defence against individuals determined to cause harm.

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the 
Government's internet policies are not much more 
than cynical vote-gathering. In the absence of 
any other ideas for the upcoming election, the 
Federal Government is asking voters to think of the children.

But what do the children themselves think about 
internet safety? The Department of Communications 
kicked an own goal last week when it released a 
study of the attitudes of parents and kids. 
Parents were concerned that the internet exposed 
children to pornography and was full of strangers 
and chat rooms. Children were more worried about 
pop-up ads, viruses and substandard internet 
speeds. Not surprisingly, few were concerned 
about pornography. Some expressed concerns about 
interacting with dangerous strangers.

The study did not provide any support for one of 
the bulwarks of the Government's policy — the 
mandatory internet filter. It revealed instead 
that internet literacy was a more effective 
protection against any potential danger online.

Regulating MySpace and filtering the internet 
provide no substitute for education. Governments 
can have a role to play in educating about online 
safety; they set the school curriculum and most 
children attend public schools. The second way 
governments can approach child safety is through 
police work. After all, parents should be 
outraged not that pedophiles could be on MySpace, 
but that there are pedophiles at large.

Like any matters to do with children, parents 
have to take the bulk of the responsibility. The 
most effective approach to internet safety and 
obscenity is monitoring online activity. The best 
protection for children is the setting of boundaries.

Too much of the Federal Government's internet 
policy is a distraction from these far more effective approaches.

A few months ago, many commentators assumed that 
the Federal Government had a rabbit to pull out 
of the hat before this election. Free internet 
filters and giving Kieran Perkins the title of 
"Parent Ambassador" are unfortunately more likely 
to make the Government look like bunnies.

Chris Berg is a research fellow with the 
Institute of Public Affairs and editor of the IPA Review.

Jan Whitaker
JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/
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Writing Lesson #78: In writing, 'do overs' are a 
'good thing' -- and a requirement. - JW, Sept, 2007

Writing Lesson #54:
Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing 
the silver for guests. - JW, May, 2007

'Seed planting is often the most important step. 
Without the seed, there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005
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