Rabbi Reisman Shlit”a summed it up IMO at the Flatbush Asifa when he said, this is about keeping good kids good (and his added point that kids is a euphamism for “us” – adults). There is no reason why a good kid should be exposed to something he should not when precautions can be put in place that they are not, therefore take precautions to ensure they are not. Is it foolproof, no, nothing is ever foolproof, someone determined to get his/her fill of things they should not, will always find a way to do so. As Rabbi Reisman stated, we are not talking about protecting “those” type of “kids”, they can go elsewhere to get their fill of things we don’t want them to. But to serve it up on a platter, in our own homes, to good kids who are not really looking for it…..
People lock the door to their house when they are not there (even when they are) despite statistics that show most homes are not burglarized, why is this “lock” any less important. If someone knew that their neighbor c’v was burglarized, even if it was a single home out of thousands in the neighborhood, they would be worried about the locks on the windows and doors. The analogy is obvious. All else is hyperbole that deflects the conversation from where it belongs.
Once all hyperbole (the big bad internet creates problem x and issue y and so on) is removed from the equation, it is a simple discussion. There is a chance that one may be exposed to something they should not. The yetzer hara in this area is a strong one, and he is a wily charachter. Take precautions.
I suppose it is fun to debate hyperbole, but in a serious discussion, it has no place.