Recently, I was made aware that youtube was now available to senior NSW dept of Education students. When I first started teaching in 2013, Youtube was not available on the DOE network – meaning I would often have to use websites to “download” youtube videos ( which I now know is frowned upon according to the smart copy website ). Youtube was blocked on the DOE filtering sever due to child protection issues – Youtube hadn’t changed, so why had the DOE decided to unblock this website?
What is Internet Filtering
from https://me.me/i/when-you-google-something-and-the-school-internet-filter-is-53f4dcc6dfb340dd9bacd7cabb337172
According to the Department of Education DET internet filtering policy (2007), DET filtering is “designed to protect students and staff by restricting access to specific types of websites ( Technology, Devices and the internet 2007). It is a type of safeguard used the “block” content considered inappropriate in an educational setting – but who gets to decide this? As a teacher, I have come across many useful websites – only to have them blocked by the internet filter.
Isn’t Internet Filtering a form of Internet censorship?
Internet Censorship in Australia is enforced by ISP ( internet service providers) and covered by Australian criminal law ( Australian piracy bill/ Copyright amendment -online infringement bill). Both of these legal bills focus heavily on copyright infringement but do not really cover why the internet is filtered in public schools. To understand this issue we must look to the Dept of Education Student use of digital devices and online services policy (2021).
Internet filtering in schools is based on the child protection Act and only blocks content that is in direct violation of this act (2001). According to the DET, the following measures are used:
From TAFENSW DET Internet Filtering pdf
According to the National Coalition against censorship (NCAC), filters can prevent students from accessing important resources such as newsworthy Facebook posts, tweets, and educational videos due to “over-blocking” and “keyword blocking” – which doesn’t make much sense considering that most teenagers get there news from social media (Common Sense Media, 2019). AS librarians, it is our objective duty to decide weather information should be censored and this should be goverend by a strong collection management policy ( Freedom to read 1986).
Pros and Cons of Internet Filtering
It is not all doom and gloom when it comes to internet filtering. There certian positives that come with the territory. postives of internet filtering include
- The blocking graphic or innapropriate content
- Keeping students on task
- The prevention of anticocial behaviour such as bullying and predatory strangers.
These are good points in favour of internet filtering but it does take away some good learning oppurtunities in regards to exposing students to the less then platable areas of the internet – I mean it didnt really work for abstinence did it?
I think as librarians are the gatekeepers of information, it is important to look at this issue with a “harm minimisation” frame of mind. A study by Andrew Przbylkus and Victoria Nash suggested there was conincing evidence that internet filters were not effctive at sheilding teenagers from adverse expereinces on the internet (internet filtering 2017). Students are gping to be exposed to this content no matter how many safeguards we put in place. I believe as a teacher librarian, we should take this oppurtunity to teach pur young poeple about effective information literacy.
