Cybertelecom
Cybertelecom
Federal Internet Law & Policy
An Educational Project

Children Online

Dont be a FOOL; The Law is Not DIY
- 1st Amendment
- CDA
- Internet Freedom
- Children, Protection
- - COPA
- - CIPA
- - CPPA
- - Child Porn
- - Child Porn, Reporting
- - Protect Act
- - V Chip
- - Deceptive Content
- - Sex Offenders
- - Privacy
- Filters
- - Notification
- SPAM Labels
- Taxes
- Reports
- Obscenity
- Annoy
- ISP
- Good Samaritan Defense
- Notes

"An analogy is the relationship between swimming pools and children. Swimming pools can be dangerous for children. To protect them, one can install locks, put up fences, and deploy pool alarms. All of these measures are helpful, but by far the most important thing that one can do for one’s children is to teach them to swim." National Academies of Science, 2002

A great deal of content regulation is done with the governmental interest of protecting children. These laws seek both to protect children from harmful content, and, in the case of child pornography laws, protect children from being the subject of offensive content. Also included here are laws that protect children's privacy, and support Internet access for children at schools and libraries.

These content laws demonstrate a tension between the value of the Internet; and problematic content. [NAS 1] [COPA Exec Sum] [CIPA Report Exec Sum, Sec. II.A.] There is also a tension between a strong government interest of protecting children and the First Amendment. [COPA II]

Reports have identified the way in which content over the Internet causes risks for children:

[NAS Report] [CIPA Report Exec Sum]

Online Safety Tools

  • Software Solutions
  • Monitor, Reports, Time Control [NAS 11] [COPA II.F.15.] [CIPA I.A.]

    Labels and Tags [COPA II.C] (can be used with both white and black lists)

    Flags & AUPs: Community flags violations of community standards, host investigates and enforces as appropriate

    Greenspace (Whitespace or Safezone)

    SafeSearch

    Site Settings

    Education [NAS 9] [COPA II.A.2]

    Best practices


    Chart from Executive Summary of COPA Commission Report (2000)

    "Technologies and methods identified in the lower right quadrant are most effective and accessible while imposing fewer costs and adverse impacts. Those identified in the upper left quadrant are relatively ineffective and create the most adverse effects. After consideration of the information gathered through hearings and comments filed by a wide range of parties, the Commission concludes that no single technology or method will effectively protect children from harmful material online. Rather, the Commission determined that a combination of public education, consumer empowerment technologies and methods, increased enforcement of existing laws, and industry action are needed to address this concern. "

    Table of What Federal Agencies Have Responsibility over What Child Safety Issues

    Issue Agency Law
    Child Pornography
    • DOJ
      • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
      • Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
      • Law Enforcement
    • FCC
    Reporting of Child Porn by ISPs
    • DOJ
      • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
    Obscenity
    • DOJ
    • FCC
    • 18 U.S.C. §§ 1460-1466
    • 47 U.S.C. § 223(d) ( interactive computer service )
    Other Offensive Content (indecency, content harmful to minors)
    • FCC
    • DOJ
    • NTIA
    Spam
    • FTC
    • FCC
    • Can Spam Act
    Child Exploitation

    DOJ

    • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
    • Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
    • National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
     
    Sex Offenders DOJ
    • KIDS Act of 2008 (A bill to require convicted sex offenders to register online identifiers, and for other purposes.) Title 42
    • Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006
    • Sec. 118 PUBLIC ACCESS TO SEX OFFENDER INFORMATION THROUGH THE INTERNET
    • Sec. 119: National Sex Offender Registry
    • Sec. 120: Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website
    Cyberbullying
    • DOJ
    • Law Enforcement
     
    Sale of Goods, Contraband
    • DOJ
    • DEA
    • FDA
    • FTC
    Education, Online Safety
    • FTC
      • OnGuard Online
    • FCC
    • States
    • DOJ
    • States AG
    • DOJ
    • DHS
    • IRS
    • USPS
    • SEC
    • NCIS
    • US Army
    • FCIC
    • CFTC
    • FBI
    • FTC: Broadband Data Improvement Act Title II: Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act Sec. 212 calls on the FTC to engage in a public awareness campaign "to promote the safe use of the Internet by children."
    • FCC: Broadband Data Improvement Act Title II: Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act Sec. 215 imposes a new requirement on school and libraries that receive subsidies from the FCC's erate program; they must teach Internet safety as a part of their Internet Safety Program .
    • States
    • The State of Virginia requires Internet Safety educational programs in schools.
    • DOJ: Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 Sec. 629: Children's Safety Online Awareness Campaigns; Sec. 630: Grants for Online Child Safety Program
    • DOJ Pub.Law. 108-447 "Congressional request to the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to compile information on federally-funded internet safety programs for youth and to describe each program's purpose and scope"
    Law Enforcement, Investigation Forensics
    • DOJ
      • Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
      • Child Protection Division
      • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
    • FBI
      • Internet Crime Complaint Center
    Advertising
    • FTC
    • FCC

    Privacy, Child (social networks, ID Theft)

    • FTC
    • DOJ
    Internet Access
    • FCC
    Reports
    • NTIA
    • DOJ
    • FCC
    • NAS
    • GAO
    Educational (Academic) Materials
    • Department of Education: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
    • States
    • Library of Congress
     
    Cybersecurity
    • DHS
     

    Child Protection Laws Chronologically:

    International

    Private Sector Activity :: NGOs

    Private Sector Activity :: Industry

    Sexting

    Papers

    Articles

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