As this blog develops, it is interesting to take a snapshot of what is actually happening. Virtually every person I meet who has a child tells me that their child is obsessed with the internet, they can't get them off it and the whole thing is out of control. I'm not even asking the question. It is simply stated out of some sort of desperation for someone/anyone to do something.
Today was a visit to the fruit and vegetable shop. Generally, people are busy at the time of day post work and don't engage in much conversation. However, this afternoon, one woman in the middle of the shop said in exasperation 'I just can't get them off the damn computers'.
This then caused some interest in the shop and general discussion. Two of the owners, a woman and a man discussed their children. The woman who initially raised the issue then said 'I should never have bought another laptop'. The fruiterer replied 'that was fatal'. The conversation continued. The male owner of the shop said that his two sons continually fought over the computer to the extent that the eldest child said the classic maxim 'I am the eldest and I have the right'. The original woman then said 'I don't even know what they are doing - playing some game with people in New Zealand. I don't think it's porn however'.
Of course, at law, children have very limited rights. Their parents do. These rights vary in certain circumstances such as when a child is at school. There are also legal obligations imposed on parents in relation to children. The maxim 'I am the eldest' holds no ground at law when it comes to accessing the internet.
So what is the solution? It is tempting to set up a Facebook page entitled 'How do I stop my child using the internet'. It would be interesting to see how quickly Facebook would shut it down.
The film that was released last year about the creation of Facebook was an interesting piece. It was almost a marketing piece for the organisation itself. At the time, Facebook was being heavily criticised for privacy issues. Even more peculiar was that Justin Timberlake played a role. He actually bought out MySpace from News Corporation. I personally found all of the characters repulsive.
The difficulty facing parents is that one the one hand, their children need access to the internet more and more. School projects are submitted online. A lot of eduction is online. As a child, it is very easy to manipulate a parent and say 'I'm doing my homework'.
In the end, perhaps the internet is simply just like television. Parenting in the seventies and eighties had to face this problem. I recall my own cousin broke her ankle leaving a moving motor vehicle as her parents were driving into the garage just so she could watch a television program.
There is of course the ultimate solution - pull the plug.
Stephen Wilcox
Australian Lawyer
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