Internet Porn Censorship, & Children

Areocam on whether the state or parents have the right and responsibility to prevent children's access to pornography.

Recent legislation to block access to online porn and the government's announcement last week of a "National Action Plan on Anti-Pornography Families" brings Areocam to discuss parental, as opposed to state, responsibility.

The Issue of Censorship or "Think of the children!"

Little Adik sits in the warnet. He's nine or ten years old. He's playing Counter-Strike, editing his Friendster page and chatting with his friends. He's cheerful, flush with youth and innocence. His hand slips and he accidentally clicks an ad for a dating site. On the dating site, he finds ads for porn sites. He's heard about them from his friends but has never looked at them because he knows they're bad. This time, he looks and doesn't know what to think of the images he sees. It's an Outside Context Problem for Adik. He has nothing to relate this to, he's yet to go through puberty and has no reaction to this beyond curiosity.
The warnet manager sits behind his desk, playing solitaire and wishing he could be somewhere else. He doesn't give a damn what his customers look at. They could be terrorists planning an attack or children looking at porn - who cares? A wage of a million rupiah a month only ensures the manager keeps everything working and collects money from customers.
Given the above scenario, typical of warnets across the country and internet cafes around the world, who do we point the finger at? The child? No, children shouldn't be made to bear the responsibilities of the world. The warnet manager? No, he or she's doing a menial job for little money and has no right to police individuals beyond taking care of the workplace. So who's left? Who didn't we mention?
Parents.
You got it, parents. Not the government, not ISPs, not anyone, except parents. Do your children have a computer or a TV in their room or do you monitor all that your children watch and browse? Will you allow your 14 year old to see a movie rated for adults only? Do you know what your children are doing now?
This abrogation of responsibility extends to all facets of life, a sickness of a pampered generation who don't have the first idea of how to think for themselves.
Every time you allow another person to determine what you can or can't see, hear, touch, taste or smell, you lose a small piece of individuality, a small piece of yourself that is gone forever.
If violence sickens you, avoid violent words and images. If sexual acts cause you moral outrage, don't watch them. If so-called blasphemous words and pictures cause your faith to waver, stay away!
Most importantly, if you are concerned about the welfare of your children, can we ask you right now to educate your kids about the world, tell them of violence and sex and religious intolerance and ensure they are equipped to deal with whatever they may encounter when you let down your guard or cannot be there to protect them.
Having said that, don't ever tell me what information I can or can't access.