When UK broke the Internet
The UK’s Online Safety Act is now in effect. The socials are going crazy, with many — some not even from the UK — shouting loudly into the void about how this is the end of the Internet. VPNs like Proton are in self-promotion overdrive, smelling the blood-money they stand to make from the influx of UK-based users falling over themselves to get…a naughty fix?
Not quite; there’s a little bit more to this one, it would seem.
The protection of children is nothing new. We have age restrictions on films and games, and there are so-called parental advisory labels on CDs. Books tend to get off lightly; I’m yet to find a book with an age-restriction label. I think books get banned outright, don’t they?
The age restrictions applied to film are not necessarily due to graphic depictions of sex; other themes factor in. For example, the graphic depictions of gore, horror and violence as well as strong language. The general theme of the film can also lead to restrictions, where the censor feels that the story is more suited to a mature audience.
Should the Internet be any different?
It is a difficult question to answer. The Internet is “media”, whichever way you look at it. It equates to a film (movies can be viewed), a CD (Spotify), a game (Steam) and a book (Wikipedia), to name a few examples.
The question therefore becomes: who is responsible for policing this Wild West, all-in-one media? The platforms themselves? The state, as China famously does? The ISPs, as many countries do to block sports and movie streaming piracy? Cloudflare and other DNS services? Or parents?
Notice how far down that list parents are; right at the end.
For parents, it is a dilemma. They need to understand the world in which their children are growing up in; an interconnected society which has never before existed in the known history of mankind. Do they censor the content they are allowed to view, even if it has passed unhindered through all the above-mentioned filters?
They should, as that is their duty as parents. When I was a child, my parents did not allow me to watch certain films. What I was allowed to do though, was to read any book or newspaper, without restriction. Certain magazines were allowed, but others were obviously off-limits.
In the context of children today, should they not be treated the same? Read what you want but stay away from adult content and you’ll be fine. Watch Youtube, but the millisecond you hear a swear word, turn it off.
Unfortunately, their world is almost entirely online, and many children born after the advent of the Internet have not seen the inside of a bricks-and-mortar library. In the UK, so many libraries have closed. No longer do children feel what it is like to hold a paper book in their hands and read outside of the school setting.
What they do know is how to use the Internet for research as part of their homework. Inevitably, as they get older, their research needs will increase and change. At 15, let’s say, they could quite reasonably be asked to write an essay about the Ukraine conflict or the genocide and forced starvation in Gaza, both taking place today. 15 is underage, so their access to certain outlets would likely be limited by the Online Safety Act - it has begun.
What now?
Workarounds exist. We are forced to use VPNs and TOR to circumvent the censorship which is happening to content not meant to be drag-netted into the Online Safety Act space. While VPNs are not something new, reputable services are unaffordable for many. As adults, we should not have to resort to such services to access “uncomfortable” content.
I am all for protecting children online, but where are the parents? I ask this question as a father myself.
One thing is crystal clear
Kids need protecting. Clear.
The other thing that is crystal clear is that kids are resourceful and resilient. At 14, I used to sneak into 18-certificate movies at the cinema; that was my hack.
The kids online today? No matter how many times I tell mine that I’ve been there, done that, still have the t-shirt, and they can’t teach me anything, we all know I’m telling fibs. They surprise me constantly, like the underage teenager already back on Discord for his gaming…via a free VPN. Little buggers.
I guess, that’s their hack.
And, I guess, politicians who pass laws don’t really account for what, like, all kids? Yup, those edge cases.