The censorship of internet sites linked with violence and pornography Essay Example

The censorship of internet sites linked with violence and pornography Essay Example The censorship of internet sites linked with violence and pornography Essay The censorship of internet sites linked with violence and pornography Essay With the invention of computer and the broadcast media via the internet enabling the avalanche of information and other possibilities, is the expansion of man’s reach to have his â€Å"forbidden† desires fulfilled. Because the idea of these inventions – in particular, the internet had made the world into what â€Å"one global village†, the good, as oftentimes supposed, outweighs the bad. Then again, it is naà ¯vetà © to ignore scores of incidents relating to the influence of the non-regulation or minimal regulation of internet sites with ties to violence or pornography. There is truth that we cannot prevent people who think of earning much from the basest of human’s needs or even by the sheer enjoyment or perversion of it; however, to turn the other way and allow the proliferation of these sites without sanctions, is essentially inviting violence or perversion to visit our doorsteps. It is the stand of this paper that internet sites linked to inc idents of violence or pornography be censored. This argument evidences on ethics and researches made on the issues. Discussion Many of those who become responsible parents recognize the potential dangers of unsupervised children exploring the internet. The accessibility (virtually everywhere) of internet, from the home to the school, and cafà ©s in every neighborhood, accounts for the possibility that anytime, children will be exposed to highly violent or pornographic internet materials. Some think that with the net explosion, it has become a vogue and an accepted fact that possibly, the threat to the effects on behavior and psyche of children and adolescents in particular, and to the larger community in general has been exaggerated by what they call as â€Å"alarmists.† A. Arguments for Non-censorship On the pros camp, several reasons and/or premises prevail to satisfy their position that there is no need for censorship. Firstly, the fact that the US Supreme Court decided to honor the freedom of speech provision of the constitution, is evidence enough that there is no adequate basis for the censorship of these identified sites. Secondly, people, they argue, just don’t â€Å"accidentally† type and get logged on onto sites as these; the reason being that children when using the internet do not have interests on sites, i.e. violent and pornographic, that cater to adult needs. Thirdly, sites that are available for adults usually require registration and are strong deterrents to minors who navigate these sites for curiosity-sake. B. Argument for Censorship Firstly, the US Supreme Court’s decision to uphold freedom of speech does not translate with the acceptance that there is no threat at all of the effects of the navigation of these sites by children, adolescents and adults. These are two differing premises and should be addressed differently. What is at stake between these two is actually the choice between ethical considerations. Up to now, whoever comprises the SC must not only answer to what is just legal. The provisions in our constitution are subject to interpretations, and interpretations, no matter ho seemingly rational, can oftentimes be unethical. Moreover, interpretations depend on the person/s behind these, and people can err, no matter their position, learning, or status in life. Secondly, the argument that â€Å"people (or children/teens for that matter) just don’t accidentally ‘type’ and navigate toward these sites† could true but practically, not at all times. In a study by Greenfield (2004, p.741-750), the â€Å"inadvertent exposure† and its results show that in more ways than one, many children and teens do indeed, experience this by way of peer-to-peer file-sharing and in some other manner. Thirdly, the third pro-camp argument referring to registration requirements as strong deterrent to teens and children, does not weigh towards the non-censorship of these sites. A mere examination or test to any one of these sites would show you that even without registration, an individual will be exposed to sexually stimulating pictures and many other samples of these variety. These samples are enough to whet the appetite of any teen to do what he could do to gain access to these sites. Conclusion It is wrong to say that there is not enough evidence to point the relationship between internet violence and pornography sites to actual negative behavior of children and teens. Research shows that pornography triggers deviant behavior (â€Å"contributes or facilitates sexual addiction†) and may manifest in â€Å"unwanted compulsive sexual acting out, voyeurism, sadomasochism, fetishism, child molestation, acts of lasciviousness, rape, etc.† Other consequences include the exploitation of children in being provoked or coerced into doing the sex act. Furthermore, experimental studies’ findings reveal that the constant exposure to pornographic pictures, videos and the like, which are readily available through the internet are â€Å"correlated with premarital sexual permissiveness† (Greenfield, in Malamuth and Impett, 2001), encourages liberal premarital sexual views even with girls, and more importantly, develops considerably more accommodating attitudes on the use of aggression towards women in either sexual or non-sexual relations (Greenfield, in Malamuth and Check, 1981). There is enough proof that point to pornography, (and its accessibility through the net increases the threat and risks) can shape and affect sexual violence, the sexual behavior, overall values of the young people and children. Wherever it may be portrayed, increasing exposure desensitizes the immature minds of children and adolescents to the impact of violence, even encourages the use of it and manifests in aggressive acts of children and youth.