ons Decency Act (CDA) in 1996 that censors the freedom of speech on the Internet. But the Supreme Court on June 26,1997 Ruled it Unconstitutional saying “As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship." -- Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority.So what about the children? How does a parent regulate what is viewed through a computer? People opposed to Internet censorship argue that it is a parent’s job to watch over what web sites their children are going to. But parents argue that it is almost impossible to always be there to watch their children, especially for single parents and families where both parents work. The duty should not be left totally on the parents, but also the creators of these web sites. Parents have some responsibility, but they cannot watch over their children twenty-four hours a day. That is why the web site creators need to find ways to prevent underage people from accessing the page they have created. The web site PsyberNut on Protecting Children Online provides a valid argument for why the Internet should not be censored and why parents should be watching what their child views on the Internet. There are new programs/developments that can be used to block access to a site that is inappropriate for children, like sites that have pornography. These sites that provide these programs are Surfwatch, CYBERsitter, and Cyber patrol. These web sites really help parents control what there children view on the Internet when they are not being supervised.Most people aren’t even looking for obscene web sites. The sites are hidden and are targeted towards people who aren’t ev...
