After all the recent discussion on the proposed internet filter, I’ve written an article on Sydney Anglicans on my closing (at least for the moment!) thoughts – ‘Keeping kids safe cannot be outsourced‘.
The post has also been republished at Gizmodo.com.au.
I welcome your thoughts.
I’ve been doing some more reading on this topic (perhaps I’m really slow, or perhaps this is part of my personality – wanting to get the full picture!) Either way, I’ve been doing some more reading tonight on some recent articles, media releases, and recapping some of last year’s discussion.
Thanks to those more technically-minded who’ve helped me to get a better understanding. I’ve found it hard to sort out the facts from the hysteria (on both sides of the debate), and appreciate a more measured discussion.
Three internet service providers (ISPs) have come out in support of voluntary filtering (i.e. they will filter restricted content). Here’s their media statements:
And a couple of posts from last year:
Any other articles worth checking out?
Included in the links above is a link about a Japanese filter for mobile phones. Is anyone aware of content filters for mobile phones in Australia?
On Monday night attention on ABC1′s Q&A turned to the government’s proposed internet filter (there’s currently 33 posts on this topic on the ABC1 website). It wasn’t just on Q&A – it’s been discussed in various media quite a lot this week.
It’s hard to find many people with anything good to say about it (other than Minister Conroy and the Australian Christian Lobby). In fact, to say anything remotely supportive of a filter, in my experience, ends up branding you as being both:
However, chatting with parents at the seminar I gave last week on protecting children online, and from research I’ve seen on the impact of porn on children’s brains, I’ve become increasingly concerned that more needs to be done. I’m not sure the proposed filter is the best way forward, but I know that we need to have this debate.
In an effort to understand the filter better, I’ve been reading and chatting to people, and I’ve tried to summarise the common objections to a filter. Here’s a classic example – a comment on PC World’s website:
“Internet filtering is censorship and the end of free speech! Would you trust anyone, especially the government, to decide what is fit for you to see or read? It will not stop porn and other nasties as the censors claim, this is just a red herring to try and justify controlling exchange of knowledge and networking! No Internet filter! No censorship! Leave the Internet alone! The last great form of communication relatively free from government interference and control.”
The objections raised in this comment are that a filter will be a) ineffective, b) an infringement on free speech, and c) a way for the government to control what we access.
In total, I’ve come up with a list of 13 objections. Can you think of others that I’ve left off this list?
I’d also be keen to get links to articles that discuss these various objections to the filter – please share them using the comments section below. I will most likely be writing about this in more detail for sydneyanglicans.net later in the week.
Thanks.
This morning I delivered a seminar at St Mark’s Pennant Hills on the topic ‘How to protect our children online’. Thanks for having me!
Below are a list of resources I collected as I researched for the seminar, that I share with you now for further reading. If you’ve discovered other useful resources, let us know in the comments section below. I will continue to add to this resource as I become aware of other material.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email – steve@communicatejesus.com.
First, a recap on the 13 tips for protecting children online:
1. Resources for parents
At the seminar this morning I also met a lady who works with Collective Shout. It is:
“a new grassroots campaigns movement mobilising and equipping individuals and groups to target corporations, advertisers, marketers and media which objectify women and sexualise girls to sell products and services.
Collective Shout will name, shame and expose corporations, advertisers, marketers and media engaging in practices which are offensive and harmful especially to women and girls, but also to men and boys.”
Keep up the good work.
On a related topic, I also spotted this in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning: ‘Here’s a spray of my own: this stuff really is on the nose. ’Lads’ ads’ are ironic, we are told. They are also brutally offensive.’
Our society really doesn’t know how to define masculinity and feminity, apart from crude, sexualised stereotypes.
2. Internet Filters and Accountability Software
3. Resources for teaching children and teenagers
A number of the sites listed in section 1 contain resources that are helpful for children and teenagers,
4. Pornography
I am convinced that pornography is one of the most destructive scourges of our age. More and more, research is revealing the addictive impact of pornography on the brain. Here are a couple of articles on this topic:
As I’ve scanned through my RSS reader this week, there’s been an unusually high number of posts on the topic of pornography.
Two of the posts from Justin and Thabiti reference an article in Salvo – ‘Slave Master: How Pornography Drugs and Changes Your Brain‘.
I’ve written a fair bit about this topic before – check out the links below, and feel free to share others you’ve found helpful.
Church Relevance reports that Lifechurch.tv is partnering with XXXchurch to host The Porn Event.
The online event will offer two segments (one for men, and one for women), at 40 different timeslots during the week.What’s it about?
“Expect a non-threatening environment featuring stories, helpful answers, and an open conversation with people who’ve traveled a similar path. ThePornEvent.com is for anyone who is interested in what it looks like to live a life beyond pornography.”
And on the subject of porn, other posts you might like to check out:
