# FILE NAME: 00000898.soc
# TITLE: Should parents be allowed to forbid their children from using the Internet? [fbdd72ae05c4454dcfb965d35db0279a]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - In general, the internet is a great source of information and a great way to socialise with friends. However, there are some risks to using the internet and parents are best placed to judge what is appropriate for their child. We feel that in general parents should not forbid their children from using the internet. However, there may be situations where this is appropriate, for example if the child is very young or if the parent feels the child is at risk from certain content. Parents should make use of the available parental controls to monitor and restrict use of the internet by children and take other steps to make their children aware of the risks associated with using the internet and how to deal with those risks.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - Children should have the right to use the internet, as this is a key aspect of modern life. However parents also have the right to monitor or limit internet use by their children. We feel the agreement of the consensus view has a few elements. The desire to explore information and use the internet is one important element. Another element is recognising there can be risks associated with using the internet and that a parent may act in the best interests of a child by limiting or blocking access to certain parts of the internet. We had a robust debate in the group with regard to what is in the best interests of the child, and by examining our own biases in this process we feel the statement we agreed as a consensus covers this element also. Lastly, we feel it is essential to identify that parents are ultimately in a position of trust where they must act in the best interests of a child and the child is also able to recognise that some parts of the internet can be dangerous or not suitable. We think this reflects an element of social control also and that as social creatures the concerns we all have about dangers to children are taken into account in the agreement of this consensus view.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - The internet is a huge part of people's lives in the modern world. The vast majority of information available on the internet is harmless or indeed incredibly educational and beneficial. Children too need access to the internet as part of their learning in modern society and denying this access is not in their best interests. There is however a proportion of content on the internet that may be considered harmful for a child to be exposed to and this is a matter for the parents to decide for themselves as to what is appropriate for their children. A consensus of the group agreed that parental controls and an acknowledgement of risks to children in terms of harmful content on the internet can be discussed openly but there is little need for parents to outright ban access to the internet due to the great number of positives associated with children using it appropriately and with their parents' supervision.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - In general, the internet is a great source of information and a great way to socialise with friends. However, there are some risks to using the internet and parents are best placed to judge what is appropriate for their child. We feel that in general parents should not forbid their children from using the internet. However, there may be situations where this is appropriate, for example if the child is very young or if the parent feels the child is at risk from certain content. We feel that where parents feel that there is a risk of certain content the first line of defence should be the use of controls on the content and children’s browsing. If this proves not to be effective the parents may use more severe measures to limit and in some cases forbid the use of the internet, this should however be done on a case by case basis after careful consideration of the benefits and risks to the child of having access to the internet.
2: 1,4,3,2
1: 2,1,3,4
1: 2,3,4,1
1: 3,1,4,2