Spain: Cartoons: a trap for children on the Internet?
The Internet hosts millions of pages created by people of all cultures, beliefs and customs. For this reason, just as you can find information about the latest subatomic particle discovered, there is also content -leaving aside the argument about whether it should be on the Internet or not- that clearly should not be accessed by people in their formative years. Web pages about violence, pornography, terrorism war, murder; sites inciting racism, anorexia and even suicide… it’s all out there on the Net and accessible to anyone that can use a browser or punch in a web address.
Given how new the Internet is, it is still early to determine exactly what the consequences are of young people being exposed to this type of content, but news stories that have already emerged pointing to a link between the Internet and certain murders or suicides suggest the need for rigorous control over the contents that can be freely accessed. The way in which children access unsuitable material on the Internet is one of the most important parts of the problem, as it is not simply an issue that depends exclusively on the intentions of the user. Countless web pages on a whole range of topics display pop-ups or contain links to pages that are plainly unsuitable for youngsters. Web pages about characters such as Pokemon, My Little Pony or Action Man contained hundreds of links to porn sites.
While it is quite normal for parents to regulate, to some extent or another, the time that children spend watching TV, the same doesn’t apply to the Internet. It seems necessary therefore, to make those who should supervise children using the Internet aware that the danger of accessing inappropriate content is a real one and that it is not just a question of instructing children and adolescents in how to use the Internet correctly, but also how to behave and the tools to use
