Against Banning of Pornography on the Internet

Those who would censor pornography on the Internet cite several reasons. First and foremost, they want to protect children, who will be harmed by continued exposure to pornography at a young age. Proponents of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), a law that regulated indecent material on the Internet but which the Supreme Court invalidated in 1997, argued that no parent, even the most liberal parent, wants their child exposed to this material at too young of an age. Children are too young to understand such material, and overexposure may condition them to associate explicit photographs with stimulation. As a result, they may be unable to form normal, healthy relationships as adults (Enough Is Enough 6).

I agree that children should not be exposed to pornographic material. Sexual images are simply too provocative and confusing for a child, and they impair the natural pr

. . .
ing entry. How were they to do this? The government assumed that they would install software that required a credit card number for entry, assuming that only someone of legal age would have a credit card. The fallacy in that supposition is apparent immediately. Children can steal their parents' credit card numbers, or if children really are that technically proficient, then bypassing such a requirement would be no problem. (Curious that the anti-pornography forces put so much faith in this software when they have so little faith in the blocking software.) The government assumed that parents would discover their credit card is being used improperly when their bill arrives. However, there are many free adult sites on the Internet. They could take the credit card number to allow entry, and then never charge it. Talk about a false sense of security for the parents. Such a system also would slow the growth of the Internet. We all agree that the Internet offers enormous benefits, with even more on the way. Restrictions threaten that expansion. Web site operators could become so skittish that every web site would require age verification to enter. Many individuals might simply give up, either because of the inconvenience of i
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Supreme Court, California Riverside's, Union ACLU, Nor Internet, , Reno ACLU, Act CDA, web site, blocking software, credit card, pornography internet, prevent children accessing, children accessing, adult material, ban pornography, prevent children, material internet, indecent material, Civil Liberties, Brief Reno, Liberties Union, supp 824 1996, reno aclu 929, aclu 929 supp, 929 supp 824,
Approximate Word count = 1808
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Against Banning of Pornography on the Internet