I didn't strictly say it was bad. Sure, I believe it is, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. The points I'm trying to make are that the internet isn't

I didn't strictly say it was bad. Sure, I believe it is, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. The points I'm trying to make are that the internet isn't just another version of the "bad stuff" that has always been around and that because of how different the internet is, it's unreasonable to suggest it doesn't affect us or our kids. I'd also like to make the point that there is a middle ground between letting a 10-year old have unrestricted internet access and monitoring your child's every action. A sample of comments from this thread that I'm trying to argue against: > That stuff was there during the BBS days as well.... You wrap your kids in cotton and stifle them throughout their childhoods with your helicopter parenting... > Sure the internet is a HUGE medium, and it's a lot easier to get access to that material using the internet, but that content's been around for almost as long as we've had photography. > When will people understand that people online is no different from people you meet in real life. Some are shady, some will cause trouble if you talk to them, and violence exist everywhere?... 24/7 supervising is not healthy. > Is it okay for you to force your child to wear a wire to school? Is it healthy to use the tapes to intervene in her conflicts? Whereas I say that the internet is not just the same old stuff we've always had, it does affect us, and not wanting your 10-year old to watch porn or beheadings is not the same as wanting to watch them 24/7 and force them to wear a wire to school.