Should the Internet be censored? With pornography, bomb making, and obscene language, in plentiful supply most parents and politicians are looking for ways to reduce undesirable material on the Internet. While the internet can be an extremely adult medium it is not the government's place to act as parents and censor the information on the Internet.
Preventing children from accessing provocative material can be achieved through other means. There are more filtering options on the internet than for almost any other form of media. Most Internet service providers now give parents the ability to add parental controls and limit their children's ability to access adult content. While some sites will still manage to get through, parents and teachers have more control over the Internet than over cable television or movies.
Some would argue that the internet is available at the public library and local schools and this inhibits parental control over what the children view. Conversely most schools and libraries hire private companies such as Net Nannie to control students" access to the web. These companies have employees that spend there entire day searching for sites to block. If these limits are not adequate for the parents, then the parents need to prohibit their children from accessing the Internet altogether.
Parents need to understand that preventing a child from viewing, hearing, or coming into contact with any obscene material is on the verge of impossible. With the availability of adult magazines, stories, and humor it is unrealistic to believe that you can prevent your child from having any contact whatsoever with adult content even discounting the Internet as a source. By watching the news, television shows, or movies it is easy to find sexual innuendos and adult themes.
In addition, since most people must purchase access to the Internet, its availability is limited by the individual.