“As for the comment “The potential for good use of the internet far outweighs the bad, in my opinion.”
Wow you are either totally naive about what is truly out there on the internet, or so blinded by your desire to prove a point that you would make such a statement. I cannot fathom anything worse in this world then the darkest depths of the internet. The internet has been used to abduct children for the purpose of (whatever) and other criminal and immoral activities! I see no way the good can outweigh stuff like that “
I don’t know how old you are, but I suspect possibly on the younger side (if I am mistaken, I will stand corrected). I am probably a great deal older than you, and I assure you, not in the least naive. I proabably know more about what is out there than many posters here who do not own or watch a tv.
There is UNQUESTIONABLY a lot of shmutz in this world, no doubt about that. But the things you mention show a singular hysteria that is a typical component of decriers of the internet (and why are you posting on it, btw, if you are so opposed and “cannot fathom anything worse in this world?”). Do you seriously not think there are FAR worse, DARKER things in this world than the internet? If so, then I don’t think that I am the naive one, nor do I need to prove a point, because you prove it for me.
The internet can be used to scope out ** DELETED ** sites. It can also be used to scope out beautiful pictures of Eretz Yisroel, Divrei Torah, secular educational research, medical information, referrals for social services, and so on. People can put filters on their computers and if they are educating their children with love not fear, they will produce a generation of Yirai Elokim that have no need or desire to navigate inappropriate sites. More important, children learn by imitating their parents’ actions. When they see anything in life that is done in an appropriate manner, that is the lesson they learn.
Your remark about kids being abducted, as it relates to frum kids, bothered me a great deal. Many kids who are abducted, meet predators in on-line chat rooms. It is far more likely to happen in the general (rather than frum)population where kids need to truly be monitored in their computer use, both at home and by friends. Education is the key. Not leaving kids at home alone for several hours after school, to fend for themselves, is also a serious issue, as many parents must be two-income families and their children are unsupervised after school.
I think that many people who have extremely strong negative feelings about the internet, do so because it is either soemthing they are being taught to believe, or they have heard of “someone” having a bad experience. All things, money, food, enjoyment of nature, etc. can be used for good purposes or nefarious ones. If we asser everything because it has a potential for bad, then we also lose out on its potential for good. The internet is a pwoerful tool, and as with all power tools, you have to use it wisely, or you will get hurt.