Showerthought: Are parental filters on kids' tablets a form of digital censorship?

I use apps to block certain websites on my kids' devices for their safety. Some people see this as a good way to protect them, but others call it censorship that stops free access. It feels like a gray area between keeping kids safe and limiting what they can see online. What do you all think about where the line should be?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hugo1mo ago

Yeah it's just basic parenting. The internet is a messy place and kids don't need to see all of it yet.

cooper.kai1mo ago

Isn't calling it censorship a bit of a stretch? I used to side with the free access crowd, honestly, until my nephew stumbled onto some really bad stuff online. That switched my view fast. It's less about controlling ideas and more about basic parenting in a new world, like not letting a kid walk alone through a bad part of town. What changed your mind if you used to see it differently?

matthew_ward81mo ago

Cooper.kai's town analogy is perfect. It's not about stopping them from ever going outside, it's about not letting a five year old wander into a crack house. The filter is the fence around the yard. As they get older and show good sense, you open the gate and give them more freedom. Calling that censorship mixes up protecting a child's development with controlling public information. Parents have always done this job, the tools are just new.