It’s doubtful people will want to sacrifice their privacy to fix the problem
From tech billionaires called before the U.S. government, to Canadian families wrestling with the challenges of raising kids in the internet age, it’s no surprise keeping the internet safe for children is something we care about.
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Addressing the issue is both simple and complicated.
Sometimes issues can be so complicated that the solution has to be made simple, by necessity.
In other words, if the solution to a complex problem is so complex that it’s unfeasible to do, then the only real alternative is to “clear the board’ or enact a simple solution that makes the complexities irrelevant.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room — the widely held belief that if children are in danger on the internet, it’s the fault of their parent or parents.
This is often true.
After all, parents are responsible for protecting their children from harm and many shirk their responsibilities and then blame external forces for their own failings when their child becomes a victim.
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On the other hand, even diligent parents can be put in an impossible situation if both parents, or a single parent, simultaneously have to:
1. Go to work.
2. Protect their children from the internet.
3. Make their children internet literate.
Doing two of three is possible. Doing all three, simultaneously, is unrealistic.
That said, regardless of the role played by parents, society has a vested interest in protecting children from all forms of abuse — including on the internet.
Given that, there are really only two solutions to this issue and the first one — getting rid of all computers — is unrealistic.
The second, which is extremely controversial and needs to be considered seriously and cautiously, is ending anonymity on the internet.
There is no other alternative. Half measures will not work.
Today, children can access porn websites by clicking “Yes, I am 18.”
The problem is, no matter what half-measures are implemented, someone — a teenager or young adult — will inevitably discover a workaround and within a week, it will be shared through accelerated word-of-mouth on Discord or similar apps and it will get into the hands of a 10-year-old.
Want to fix this problem?
If so, then the government will need to ban children from large parts of the internet.
The only way to practically do this would be to require identity authentication upon login.
It can’t just be a driver’s licence or a similar piece of identification.
Minors can take a card from an adult’s wallet or purse.
The government would need to keep an email or other contact mechanism on record and send the parents an automatic notification every time someone logs into their account without authorization.
For example, if a child sets up a porn account with a parent’s ID and then uses an email the child created, the system would interrupt it, break the attempt and alert the parents.
This means adults would have to notify the government about their own porn accounts, Facebook, X and every other site a parent doesn’t want their child accessing.
Anything less than this simply won’t work.
Teens or adults will find a workaround and children will have access to it in a week or two.
I suspect many people would publicly support this idea to protect children, while privately voting against any government that tried to do it.
The point is this problem can be fixed, but it’s doubtful people will want to sacrifice their privacy to do it.
So we’ll probably stick with blaming parents and tech billionaires.
— Alex Vezina is the CEO of Prepared Canada Corp, teaches Disaster and Emergency Management at York University and is the author of Continuity 101. He can be reached at info@prepared.ca.
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