Sex and the Internet
Sex sells and the latest fears among Parents is the suffix “XXX”. This means that you can go to websites like Girls.xxx, Princess.xxx or even Dora.xxx! Sex and the Internet can be pretty scary for parents.
With our children constantly on the internet, there is the remote possiability of my girls typing “Dora.XXX”, or a Google Search bringing them to such a address. With Alexa’s Top 100 websites, having pornographic websites in the Top 100 most searched websites, the threat of pornography is always real!
On this issue, the content regulator in Singapore (Media Development Authority or MDA), has stated that they will not be blocking websites with the .xxx suffix. According to the Report in the Straits Times (June 7, 2011), the MDA Deputy Director stated that “It is not practical to block all objectionalable sites given the borderless and dynamic nature of the internet”, especailly when the sites are hosted overseas.
As a parent, although I have fears about the Internet, I think that her statements are not unfounded. With the Internet available on the Ipad and on every mobile device, I think it is just not realistic to block such websites. Blocking such websites, will just lead us back to arguements like banning Harry Potter. Think about it, if I am truly looking for something with the suffix XXX, will a simple “Nanny” device truly stop me!?! (However, I do feel that some form of Internet Wisdom is desirable)
Growing up as a teenager, we always seem to be really “Creative”, when we wanted to obtain or view “Undesirable” materials. It therefore seems more likely that, in order to solve a problem, we should attack the “Roots” and not the “Fruits”. Education seems to be a more realistic solution to a problem that seems to be plaguing society.
Realistically, the possibility of a 7yo, accidentallly stumbling upon such a website, is really very low. Unless of course, someone with access to your personal computer, has recently “Goggled” a Pornographic website or visited such a website, google should not prompt your child in a normal “Google” search. Therefore, if a 10yo, actually googles for such a website, the problem will actually lie with the child himself. Whether it is out of curiousity or due to peer pressure, I believe that it is more about an issue of education, and having a “heart to heart” talk with your child. In my view, the Isolation of children is still not the key to tackling life’s diffcult problems, as it just does not prepare them for the “Real World”. The issue of curiousity, is just a signal, that it is time for us to tackle such issues, rather than an indication for us to exercise avoidance.
The real world may not be pretty, but as Parents, we need to help them naviagate through the “Minefields of life”, rather than pretending it’s not there at all