While I don’t fully agree with lakewhut, I believe that a lot of people are missing the boat— before you can ban or filter, you need to teach about SAFE INTERNET USE.
There was a lecture by R Zecharya Wallerstein going around, and it talked about a really horrible thing that happened to a girl because of someone she met on the internet. I cannot even come close to understanding the tzara that this family is going through, but the thing that irked me was that R Wallerstein kept saying, as a persistent refrain, “Get off the internet.” Why did that irk me? Because that wasn’t the moral of the story.
I will not be going into the story, but even from what I’ve said already, the moral is clearly DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS! Whether on the internet or in real life! Whether male or female (because there is a potential, possibly slight but still there, that they are not the one they say they are)! So what does it mean, that if someone can get kidnapped off a bus we shouldn’t ride buses?
We need to educate teens (and, quite frankly, adults, if only that they can stay alert to the dangers) about using the internet RESPONSIBLY.
1) Only “friend” people you know (call them to confirm that they “friended” you)
2) Do you really need social networking? I’ve always wondered why people do.
3) Don’t talk to strangers! Don’t tell them your name! Don’t give them your email address! Just DON’T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!!!
4) Memorize #3
Honestly, if you ask any kid, they will know that they’re not allowed to talk to strangers, take candy from strangers, etc. But do they understand not to talk to strangers online? That is really what we need to make sure, even before we talk about filters and stuff like that, because it’s just sechel, and because there will always be kids who will break the filters. They need to be educated and KNOW about the dangers, or you’re just leaving them, not knowing how to swim, in the middle of an ocean filled with man-eating crocodiles.