ED's Corner: Censoring the Internet Does Not Make Children Safer

There has been a concerted effort in recent weeks to push through legislation, both domestically in the US and internationally, that would effectively censor the internet in the name of child safety. Bills like the EARN IT Act, KOSA (Kids Online Safety) Act, Restrict Act, along with a slew of other “age-verification” laws have been introduced in Congress and state legislatures to tackle online child sexual abuse. While on the surface these bills may feel good to implement - since it means we’re doing something! - in reality these bills won't protect children from abuse, but they do pose a threat to the internet as we know it. 

It seems that 2023 is the year of banning things on moral - but not empirical - grounds. If we were banning things that had evidence of harm, like high-caliber firearms for personal use, I would be thrilled and would write a far more positive newsletter piece! As it stands I am writing to you about the effects of censorship and how it will have a far more detrimental impact on our children than its proponents believe. Censorship does not protect children. Censorship protects those in power by allowing them to decide what you are allowed access to.

At face value, removing things from the internet that could potentially harm children seems like a good idea. We don’t want our children exposed to violent or sexually explicit media before they are developmentally ready for it, yes? I do not want my child exposed to material that could have a negative impact on them before they are ready to cope with that impact. Censoring material and broadly stating that no one should have access to it is a step too far. The KOSA Bill is the most notorious for this, as it specifically states its intention to “pressure platforms to install filters to remove any material deemed “inappropriate” for minors.” My concern with this bill is the “who” - who gets to decide what is inappropriate and for whom?

It is Prostasia’s organizational belief that children have the right to access information. Children have the right to be informed about their bodies, their environments, and their experiences. Children also have the right to communicate. Censoring the internet, as these bills would do, stands to harm children by limiting their access to legitimate, scientifically accurate, and developmentally appropriate information. We do not need to censor the internet to protect children. By teaching children how to use the internet safely, by removing illegal material (e.g. CSEM/CSAM), and by encouraging adult platforms to use currently-available tools to reduce the chance that minors access their sites, we can ensure that everyone has access to an open and informative internet.

Join Prostasia as we keep up the fight to prevent child sexual abuse. We cannot do it without the generous support of members like you!

Contributed by Fay Brown - Advisory Council Member.

The first point of child protection is giving children, from the start, the correct terminology for body parts, and language and safety to tell when someone (usually someone known to the victim) fails their duty of care. Age-appropriate sex, relationship and consent education gives the child language and examples they can understand without being overloaded.

It is important to help children understand the signs of grooming in ways they can comprehend. Grooming can take the form of encouraging the child to keep secrets or tell lies, telling the child they will get in trouble if they tell anyone about the abuse, telling the child that it is their fault that the abuse happened, and/or love-bombing the child to confuse them into thinking that inappropriate touch is - in fact - appropriate. These are all signs of grooming and it is critical to include information on this in comprehensive sexual education programs, as part of learning what consent actually means. Children absolutely have autonomy over their bodies and they have the right to know what this means in practice.

Not only do we need to give comprehensive & age-appropriate body, sex, relationship and consent education, but we also must provide online support and prevention initiatives - something that cannot be achieved if the internet is censored, as many of the bills currently under discussion would do. Children and teenagers have the right to communication - censoring the internet may very well increase sexual abuse perpetration offline by diminishing avenues for children to disclose ongoing abuse.

We all want to protect our children from harm. Censoring the internet is harmful, not safe.

Check out Prostasia's Supporting Parents page for more information and resources on how to be safe online!

As promised, we are working to get the newsletter back to you more regularly - once a month! We are nearing Global Encryption Day on October 21st, which means we'll focus more on encryption, censorship, and child protection in our newsletters. 

We have begun an exciting new collaboration with Nottingham-Trent University to evaluate MAP Support Club. Stay tuned for more information on this much-needed project!

The first publication from our collaboration with SUNY Oswego and Nottingham-Trent University on the effects of fantasy and fictional sexual outlet use among MAPs is now live! Check out the full-text here (open-access) for details.

Our advocacy work cannot be sustained without the support of our members and generous donations from supporters like you. If you are not yet a member of Prostasia Foundation, join today! 

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