Individual Task

Do children require special treatment on the internet? Is filtering a solution?

In modern times, technology progressively developed and the usage of internet became
increasingly vital and necessary for human knowledge and development. Internet became one of
the main sources of information around the globe and revolutionized communication, to the
extent that it is now our preferred medium for every day communication. In this time of
pandemic which we are oblige to stay at home to become safe, the internet is one of the
technologies that most people rely on to spread and gather information. Unfortunately, just as
easily as information is produced and spread, it is also abused. It is where also the spread of false
information takes place as well as other manner of illegal activities. These range from phishing
scams, trying to steal one’s personal identity, viruses, malicious software etc.

Modern children are growing up in the world where internet is in their lives; most of
them own cell phones, tablets and other gadgets making them the largest groups of people rely
on it. For children, the use of internet is in doing schoolwork, communicating, playing video
games, watch movies, and listen to music. The heavy reliance on it has consequences if not being
monitored by a parent or guardian since it also cause anxiety because of violence in games,
extreme use of computer or gadgets, ease of accessing pornography and other controversial
content, invading privacy and internet addiction. Many pop ups and click baits show often when
people browse the internet asking for personal info and young children could be a target since
there are websites that are inappropriate for children and phishing scams are rampant nowadays.
Thus, parents should apply special treatment to their children when in from of the computer or
any gadgets since they are just clicking what they want but they don’t know what harmful
impacts it could bring to their selves. At this moment, many filtering apps, websites and internet
providers are now available in blocking access to certain websites that has certain impact to
children and it is one of the best ways to protect children from accessing other sites inappropriate
for them but many argued about its restrictions since numerous informative materials are being
filtered that is necessary for educational learning. In my opinion, filtering is necessary for
children under thirteen years old since they play much of the time and don’t have mere
understanding of the world while proper monitoring is one of the basic ways to protect them but
as the children grows, we could ease restrictions so that they can explore the world and
understand more of our society and how it works. Filtering is not only possible solutions to
protect children but parents could create set of rules of conditions that their child could follow
when they are in front of the computer. But with proper monitoring and guidance are also
necessary when they are browsing the internet in order to help and teach them to understand the
things that they saw in the internet.

The internet has many advantages in our life especially nowadays that we are staying at
our homes, we most likely to rely from it to collect information as well as to communicate,
buying products online, entertainment and other matters that is necessary for living but the usage
of it has many dangers as well especially to young children that rely their learning and
entertainment from it. Filtering may be one of the other solutions that parents suggests to protect
their child and family but proper monitoring and guidance is still advisable so that adults can
check, monitor and explain to them the things that make them wonder when in front of the
computer. Since we cannot control the internet from accessing and avoid certain harm it may
bring, remember that we are still the one using it and we the power to use it in a positive way that
can help us to become safe as well as informative at the same time. Being an information and
technology literate is one of the best ways to protect ourselves and our family since it helps us to
become ahead of what certain dangers could appear in the internet and help us to become aware
on how to use it.