SLJ Talks to Congressman Mark Kirk about DOPA's Revival
Joan Oleck -- School Library Journal,04/04/2007
Just when you thought last year's Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) was dead, it's resurfaced again. This time, the bill is being reintroduced by Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK).
The act requires schools and libraries that receive federal e-rate funding to protect minors from online predators. Translation? Kids would be banned from using social networking sites like MySpace, as well as chat rooms and blogs. And critics are saying that's a consitutional violation.
SLJ caught up with Kirk to talk about his reasoning and motivation for the law.
Why is passing DOPA so important to you?
I have a group of kids I work with: my Student Leadership Advisory Board. They're 36 kids who are the high school class presidents of every high school in my district [Chicago's North Shore suburbs]. [Each year] we ask them, "What's the biggest danger to kids that your parents don't know about?" Last year, they said, "Creeps online." Our group is two-thirds female. I asked, "How many of you guys have been approached by a predator?" And nearly every girl raised her hand.
Your bill demands that schools and public libraries deny access to social networking sites and chat rooms unless an adult is present and there's an educational purpose. Define "educational purpose."
We haven't defined "educational purpose" in the legislation, but our purpose is a more basic one. In some places we have unfettered [computer] access, and disturbing incidents have resulted. In Lake County, IL, predators were using MySpace to reach high school computers.
It doesn't seem right if libraries outright ban social networking sites, wikis, and blogs.
Computers used by adults should be free and unfettered, whatever the local policy. In the realm of minor children, the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the government has a compelling interest in protecting them. And I think that Congress and the laws of the United States have fallen dangerously behind the technology used by predators.
What about the First Amendment?
Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes said [in De Jonge v. Oregon] that there must be common sense put into the law, that you cannot yell "fire!" in a crowded theater and start a stampede—then defend your action on First Amendment grounds. And the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that there are compelling interests in protecting children.
What do you have to say to librarians and civil rights advocates who call the DOPA legislation vague and ineffective?
My response is that they're out of touch with over 400 members of Congress who are representing the American people.
Are you aware that your critics say that you're advocating censorship?
Yes, I am totally in favor of censoring predators from children!
What about just educating kids about smart and safe ways to surf the Web?
These are 10- and 11-year-old children. We want them to be educated and act responsibly. But they are children! They are so naive and so innocent. The danger is that with a [young] child, you can tell her about all the dangers in the world. But she's eight!
The only thing you can really do, as we do with car seats and door locks and making sure the front door is closed, is to physically protect the child. The Internet only came online in 1993, and this danger didn't emerge until a few years later, and our laws are totally behind the curve.
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| Submitted by: | KELLY CZARNECKI (kczarnecki@plcmc.org) 4/6/2007 5:16:11 AM PT |
| Location: | Charlotte |
| Occupation: | Technology Education Librarian |
I am proud to be a Librarian that is out of touch with over 400 Congress members that represent the American people because I do not agree that legislation of social networking is the key to protecting youth. I am in touch with the youth I serve every day at my library where we have programs for parents and youth on using social networking sites responsibly. I would suggest that the Congress members that represent me, my colleagues and the youth that we serve, have dialogues about educating youth on using social networking sites, come to our libraries and see the positive aspects-skills this is building for the 21st century for our youth, and the developmental assets we can encourage through responsible choices. Does this mean librarians do not want to protect children from predators? No. An educated citizenry is what Congress should be in touch with. Thats when everyone benefits.
I am not proud that Librarians and Congress members are not more in touch together. Librarians are professionals that work with youth everyday on social networking sites. We are a resource. While all librarians do not share the same opinions about DOPA, we can come to the table and dialogue. We all agree that protecting our youth is important.
| Submitted by: | Linda W. Braun (lbraun@leonline.com) 4/5/2007 9:08:00 AM PT |
It seems to me that this isn''t quite as black and white as Congressman Kirk leads readers to believe. We need to understand why teens use these tools, how they use these tools, and what they know about the safety aspects of these tools. Teens make choices when they are online, on the street, at home, and in the classroom. Sometimes they make good choices and sometimes they don''t. Adults want to (and should) help teach teens how to make good choices and simply saying we won''t give you access to these resources doesn''t teach that.
The Young Adult Services Association (YALSA) created several documents that help adults understand social networking, how to connect teens to social networking positively and safely, and how to talk to other adults about the positive aspects of social networking. Congressman Kirk, and anyone else, can check them out on YALSA''s blog - blogs.ala.org/yalsa.php.
| Submitted by: | Jenny Levine (jenny@theshiftedlibrarian.com) 4/5/2007 8:19:16 AM PT |
"My response is that they're out of touch with over 400 members of Congress who are representing the American people."
Or perhaps it's the other way around. This is, after all, the august body which let Ted "the internet is made up of tubes" Stevens chair an important tech committee.
Following the senator's line of logic, I look forward to his introduction of a bill to ban alcohol and tobacco from any physical place a minor can enter, as well as his proposal for what will replace cars on our streets since thousands of our children die in car accidents every year.
Education is the key, not legislation.
| Submitted by: | Helie Rock 4/4/2007 10:41:51 PM PT |
| Location: | Kea'au, Hawaii |
| Occupation: | High School Librarian |
I'm a high school librarian, and I abhor censorship in theory, but I also abhor the things I see happening on sites like MySpace. We do the best job we can in educating our students, but I agree with Congressman Kirk that kids will be kids, and they often seem to think our warnings don't apply to them personally, or that they are in complete control of any situation. Our school district already filters the internet (though tech-savvy kids can often figure a way around the filters), and it is actually a relief to me.
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