The issue of online safety looms as a threat to those of us who promote the educational potential of the Internet. Yesterday, President Bush signed into law a bill creating the kids.us domain (see legislation). The basic idea is provide a protected zone for children under 13.
A great idea, but success will rely on the underlying assumption that students will limit themselves to resources and services within this domain. It is kind of like telling your kids they can only watch the “Discovery Channel” and then leaving the house.
Another very important piece of the solution is to empower teachers, students, and parents by helping them understand the potential dangers that exist and providing practical suggestions for what might be done to avoid or handle dangerous situations. Filtering or channeling will never be a complete solution. This is the position taken by iSafe – a program that is being implemented in our local schools and schools across the country. I attended one of their information sessions yesterday and wrote this comment as a consequence.
By the way, Internet safety is the responsibility of educators who encourage Internet use. It is also the responsibility of parents. Do you know where your kids are surfing tonight?
