06.17.06
Australian Mom demands libraries ban chat
The mother of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by a man she met in an internet chatroom is demanding that libraries and schools ban children from chatrooms. While I feel for the mother and the girl (who was victimized) I think that the proposed approach misses the point. If a teenager is set on a particular course of action, then libraries could pull computers completely from their buildings and the teens would still find a way to do it.
Mum demands chatroom crackdown after ‘rape’
– reported by news.com.auTHE mother of a 15-year-old girl allegedly raped by a man she met through an internet chatroom has called on public libraries and schools to ban children from such websites.
The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said many unsupervised children were using online chatrooms in public libraries and schools.
[snip]
Many public libraries contacted by The Advertiser yesterday said they did not restrict children from using chat sites.
A spokeswoman for Marion council - which operates three libraries - said there were many good chat sites available.
“On balance, it is more important to have access to the good chat rooms and freedom of information than it is to stop the one or two people who will breach it,” she said.
[snip]
