Filtering: beyond porn (was:Re: CDA

[Tom Perrin]

Charles P. Hobbs wrote:
> 

> 
> 1. There's been some concern about certain companies targeting Internet
> advertising to children. These are (usually) ads for things that interest
> children, such as candy, toys, cereal, etc. As with similar ads on
> television, some parts of society believe that these ads are harmful to
> children. Should these be filtered in the public library?
> 
> 2. There are various entities interested in providing on-line gambling
> services on the Internet. Of course, they'll say "18 and over only", but
> there's really no way to verify age over the Internet, as far as I know.
> Even if a credit card number is required to use the gambling site, kids
> have been known to steal credit cards.
> 
> Again, is this something that the public library should be concerned
> about?

I think parents ought to be concerned about it. I don't want the library
to take my place as a parent.  It just isn't competent to do so.

 I don't understand why a library, which purchases all kinds of media
with advertising, including children's media, and which provides to its
public all kinds of information on gambling, should be concerned about
this kind of  information content. 

 As for access to gambling sites, yes I am concerned. I am also
concerned about my child swimming alone, getting sunburned, walking on
to the street from between parked cars, and hitting upon members of the
opposite sex. But I do not prohibit my child from going to the pool, I
provide copious quantities of sunblock, etc.  More importantly, both of
our child's parents practice what they preach. We believe that our
primary goal in life is to raise and educate a responsible child. You
can't do that by shutting the kid up in a closet or controlling every
aspect of the child's life. 

To reframe the entire discussion:

It's a control issue.
It's a parenting issue.
It's not a library issue.

I don't have to justify my parenting.
I do have to explain why I want to control the universe.
I don't have to involve the library in either of the above.
Tom Perrin