Online safety discussion raises new challenges, questions

The National Press Club hosted a discussion about online safety, with a focus on protecting kids on the Internet. The discussion outlined the challenges of trying to protect children from inappropriate content, yet, at the same time, respect free speech.

Internet service providers (ISP) need to take a proactive role in reducing offensive content on the Internet since they do not have the same constraints that the government has, said Christopher Wolf, an attorney. He suggested that ISPs expand their terms of use to allow them to remove or restrict offensive and inappropriate content that their users post.

“The best way to deal with hate speech on the Internet is through counter speech,” said Wolf. We need to explain to children “why the lies that are on hate sites are in fact lies, and explaining why tolerance and diversity and respect for human beings should be the model both online and offline.”

Stephen Balkham, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, said that the new challenge in online safety is to also prevent kids from creating objectionable content. He named instances in which kids would take pictures of themselves in the nude, then post them on the Internet. He emphasized a “Three C’s” approach to deal with these issues: Content, Contact, and Conduct. Parents and lawmakers needed to take a cool, calm analysis when trying to come up with solutions, and there needs to be a high level of government leadership.

“While the issue is daunting and constantly changing, I remain optimistic” said Balkham, “I think our kids can be safe at any speed provided we continue to provide them with the tools, the rules, and the public policies to keep them that way.”