National Report: Internet Filters Can't Replace Parents

Filtering software isn't enough to shield children from online smut or sexual solicitations in chat rooms and e-mail messages—adult guidance is also needed to protect them from harmful content, says a recent report by the National Academies' National Research Council (NRC), a government body that advises Congress.

Parents, librarians, and teachers should educate children about what to do when they encounter online information that makes them uncomfortable, says former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, who chaired the NRC committee.

The report recommends that libraries offer both filtered and unfiltered Internet terminals. It does not comment on the appropriateness of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires mandatory filters in public libraries. The committee avoided the CIPA issue because the law's constitutionality is still being debated in court, says committee member Nicholas Belkin, a professor in Rutgers University's School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies.

Since most filtering software companies' "block lists" and blocking criteria are considered proprietary and kept secret, it's not unusual for educators to discover that a site they want to use has been inappropriately blocked. "Teachers and librarians should be able to exercise their professional choice [in selecting appropriate Web sites]," says Belkin, and most filtering software does not allow them to do that. Filters are most appropriate for home use, with parents choosing a filter suitable for their families, the committee says. If libraries are required to institute filtering, Belkin says, they should offer users the choice of filtered or unfiltered access.

An executive summary of the findings is available at www4.nationalacademies.org/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/porn?OpenDocument. For the full report, see lab.nap.edu/html/youth_internet.