"There is no technology that can filter out all objectionable material, and every filter filters out constitutionally protected material," said Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association's Washington, D.C., office.
from http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/011508dnmetlibraryporn.27bb24d.html
I think that one quote sums up the conflict quite well.
As technology coordinator of our school, I have tussled with our district about levels of restriction frequently. I get very angry when our students can't access blogs, youtube videos, Google images, etc, for legitimate educational reasons.
At the same time, I'm all for keeping our kids safe from objectionable content.
The answer at our school was to implement the iSafe curriculum (www.isafe.org). It teaches kids how to behave responsibly and safely while online. Or it least it exposes them to the dangers inherent online. I teach the curriculum to our middle schoolers, and then again to high school students in the Internet class. It does seem to make an impact.
Some great analogies:
Some books and magazines have objectionable content. That doesn't mean that we don't let kids read; we just teach them how to pick appropriate material.
Many people die in car accidents. That doesn't mean we stop kids from riding in them; we teach them how to use safety restraints.
It can be dangerous to cross the street, but that doesn't mean we teach kids to avoid the street. Eventually we give them some rules so that they can cross the street safely.
Like crossing streets,
"let's teach them how to cross the Information Superhighway successfully."by Mary Jane Little, director of St. Johns County Public Library in St. Augustine, Fla from http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041801/met_5940442.html
