There are places for filters.

They can prevent embarrassment for some who might accidentally trip on something in public, be it school, or workplace. AGMLego’s Chinese foot-binding/BDSM dilemma is blush-worthy.

For very young children (6 and under) filters can be an aid against ‘tripping’ provided that the parent parents by placing the PC in the living room-public area of the home. Filters are an AID, as they are imperfect and not every naughty site is easy to track. Some sites fall under the raidar, such as ProAnna’s.

Some parents only allow internet to be connected for limited amounts of time or only allow locked laptopss 24/7 access while the children learn on a stand alone PC.

I figured out how to defeat Bsafe a long time ago, with several different methods. I didn’t attempt to remove it though. Why didn’t I remove it? I want to show my parents that I’m trustworthy. I discovered most of the ‘evils’ of the world when I was merely 10. I admit that I used to go to less that reputable websites, and I have been ‘cyber-bullied’, and it scared me back then. But I learned from it. I’ve gained an enhanced sense of common sense, and I’ve bucked up and no take any and all ‘cyber-bullying’ like a man.

My parents were aware of this, and had educated me about these things when they found out. Bsafe was their answer to all of it. I actually requested that Bsafe be put on my conputer, because, at the time, I didn’t trust myself to resist the ‘temptations’.

It worked, keeping me from it all, but it also made me want out. So many innocent sites are blocked by it- I want my freedom back.

Now I want it off. I’ve grown up since then. i’ve reached a much more logical and reasonable state of mind. I have common sense, and I am fully aware of all the ‘evils’ of the world.

I’m not the average teenager though, I admit, as my parents seem to comment that I am much more aware than most kids my age. Please pardon the ‘arrogance’ of that last statement of mine, but it is true.

I have a great relationship with my parents, but, the whole problem has always been propoganda. The problem is a ‘generation-gap’ of sorts. Many parents seem to be out of touch with the modern world as it is veiwed by the youngest of our generation.

Age is of no solid relevence to a person’s intellectual developement and capability. So I’m only 14. I guess I had that ‘maturity spark’ a bit early. Hopefully my proficiency in speakign is evidence of this. I know that I’ve learned a lot from being in many multiple social communities across the internet.

If everything on the internet was out of my reach back then, I would not be where I am today. I would not be the person I am today. I’ve learned nearly 40% of everything I know (Besides the basics such as math and english) from the internet, I estimate.

Now, I’ve become a man of knowledge and reason. An agnostic, athiestic leaning, independent, liberal leaning person, who is highly aware of all the things going on in the world.

My parents already allow my to watch whatever TV I want now, be it R or even M rated. They have realized that I am mature enough to veiw such content in enetertainment and games; so the next step is internet freedom.

I seek reason and knowledge, but I must also have freedom. Freedom to go to sites such as youtube, and the massive plethora of innocent websites Bsafe has flagged ignorantly with tags such as ‘Free host, and R-rated games & news’.

I simply want to enjoy life. To be able to watch hilarous Youtube videos such as the ‘red vs blue’ comedy series for Halo, and whatever else I so please. To be able to go to Comedy Central’s website, so I watch reruns of the ‘Daily Show’ and the ‘Colbert Report….’

After all, there are several great Human rights we should all have under the Consitution’s bill of rights.

Sure you can use it to check on your suspicious spouse too… to that I say, you only have beef with that idea if you are one who has something to hide!
:)

And our software (PC Pandora, by the way) is $50 for a ONE TIME fee — or as I call it: peace of mind.

Bottom line is safety of your kids. We provide a tool to help acquire that.

Is it better to persuade someone who disagrees to your point of view, or just to make them mad?

Are bystanders more impressed by your winning a reasoned discussion or by your ability to construct zingers?

If I’d started this with some variant on “Dear A-hole,” would you have even read down this far?

I don’t agree with her, but there must be a better way to show it.

It’s pretty clear to me that a lot of people on this site are simply talking out of their a$$es. I venture to guess that the majority of the commenters fit into at least one of the following categories: (a) those who do not have children and (b) those who have never had a filter.

It is too easy for kids to find porn, even when they are not looking for it. Just to give an example, if I want to do a search for Britney Spears (a fairly common search for young girls, at least a few years ago) using my Google tool bar, guess what “suggestions” pop up?
“britney spears no underwear”
“britney spears crotch shot”
“britney spears”
What curious kid is not going to click on one of them?

Sure, most kids can get around such software, I myself recall subverting more primitive versions of such software 10 years ago when I was a teenager.

But by installing such software you

1. Protect your child from accessing objectionable content until he is old enough to figure out how to subvert the software.

Let’s be realistic here, I’m sure everyone would agree that children under a certain age don’t need to be looking at porn.

Likewise, we can rant about “responsible parenting” but given the prevalence of online activities these days, it would be a major burden to observe a child or young teenager every moment they are on the internet.

2. It teaches children useful technical skills that they obtain as a result of learning to subvert the software. They learn about proxy IP addresses, or installing and using software, or dealing with new operating systems. Things many adults today still can’t figure out.

3. it teaches childen that if they really want something, they have to work to get it.

and yes, I am being facetious if it’s not somewhat obvious already.

I live in australia and atleast 60-70% of our school can disable blocking software, it costs our school tons of cash on trying to stop us and it can all be bypassed/ disabled. the only way to stop people from seeing certain sites is to pull out the plug!

Internet blocking software is useless, it is VERY easy to bypass and Simple to disable, and VERY useless

It’s a shame that most parents don’t realize it and believe that these little blocking programs actually work.

With this blocking software, won’t that make kids more curious about what’s being hidden and make them more determined to get around it?
And like an earlier post said, if you want to do it, you’ll do it, regardless of the restrictions. Besides you can’t be addicted to porn and social network sites so much that it has to be blocked. It’s not like their interest in it’ll stay for that long. Let them satisfy their curiosity, but they need to be educated on it first. It’s better to see it early on and learn how to tolerate it rather then be sheltered for what, 10 or so years of their life and be completely unprepared for life, which is much worse then what the internet can dish out.

Basically, if you feel the need to install a filter, also take the time to explain what you’re blocking and why.

Remember, there’s always a way to get around anything. The sooner parents and government officials figure that out, the better.

Two other thoughts:
How is it that predators can get children anyway? If a child is stupid enough to give out their home address or plans on meeting someone without the parent knowing, then they shouldn’t be on the net.

And is there a way to remove said software? Getting around it is fine, but in order for people to learn how easy it to mess with that software, you gotta remove it. Educate your parents and other blockers. Maybe they’ll finally learn something.

Also, as a side note, is the Internet any different than, say, recreational drugs? If a kid wants to do it, s/he will do it, no matter the restrictions and frequently because of the restrictions placed upon her/him. You can lock her/him up except for school, and s/he’ll get it at school. You can educate her/him about it, and s/he’ll factor that into the decision to do it, but not to a big extent. It happens.