New communications technologies pose unique dilemmas for parents. While a substantial majority of adults believe that familiarity with the Internet is an essential skill for children in the 21st century, they also fear the hazards lurking in cyberspace. They worry that adventurous youngsters will be exposed to things -- pedophiles and pornography generally top the research surveys -- they would prefer to keep out of their children's lives. The desire to protect children is understandable; unfortunately, there is no simple technological fix. Rather, parents worried about their children's journeys through cyberspace have to acquire their own fluency with the medium and parent the old-fashioned way: by providing supervision and setting an example.
While there are doubts about the actual amount of harmful or immoral material on the Internet, fears about exposure to such information are palpable, nonetheless. It seems that every time there is a scandal, a crime or some other headline-making event, the Internet has somehow figured in it. Governments, the industry and concerned individuals have recognized that some action is required to quell the growing concern. The options range from government-imposed regulation to standards established and voluntarily adopted by the industry itself. Along the spectrum there are various hybrid approaches -- filters, rating systems and co-regulatory systems that include cooperation between the public and private sector.
Each proposal has its strong and weak points, its advocates and detractors. No matter what course is chosen -- and approaches will differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction -- any effective solution will have to address several issues.