No Silver Bullet to Protecting Children Online

With the release by the Government of submissions on measures to increase accountability and transparency for Refused Classification material under its ISP filtering plan, it is timely to reflect upon research prepared by The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

Released on the 24th of February this year, authors John Palfrey, Urs Gasser, and Danah Boyd respond to a US Federal Communications Commission Notice of Inquiry into the topic of empowering parents and protecting children in an evolving media landscape. They write:

When it comes to youth and technology, issues of concern about the future – rather than issues related to opportunities – often dominate the public discourse. This is understandable. First, parents and grandparents are often baffled by, and sometimes concerned about, the habits of their children and the generations that follow – and this shift in behavior by many youth is surely no exception to that rule. Second, we are in the midst of radical transformations in the information
technology environment and in patterns of usage of technology, changes that are bringing with them much creativity but also challenges to existing hierarchies. And third, adults perceive that their children are more likely to use these new information technologies in ways that are at best perplexing and at worst dangerous to themselves and to society. The data collected by social scientists about young people, how they use technologies, and the challenges and opportunities they face often are at odds with this public perception.

Importantly they conclude:

There is a broad range of approaches to online safety for youth that can be effective, but no one approach will work on its own.

And recommend:

The Members of the Internet community should continue to work with child safety experts, technologists, public policy advocates, social services, and law enforcement to: develop and incorporate a range of technologies as part of their strategy to protect minors from harm online; set standards for using technologies and sharing data; identify and promote best practices on implementing technologies as they emerge and as online safety issues evolve; and put structures into place to measure effectiveness.

The full report can be found at this Berkman Center for Internet and Society link.

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