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Do you think Internet filtering in your school is overly restrictive?

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The Importance of Balanced Internet Access

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The Importance of Balanced Internet Access

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I've observed that while internet filtering is necessary for student safety, overzealous filtering can severely impact educational opportunities. CIPA compliance doesn't require blocking legitimate educational content. We must strike a balance between protection and access to valuable learning resources.

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The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires schools to implement internet filtering. However, it's crucial to understand that CIPA doesn't mandate blocking legitimate educational content. Many schools over-filter due to misunderstanding of legal requirements.

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The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet. CIPA imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program - a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. In early 2001, the FCC issued rules implementing CIPA and provided updates to those rules in 2011.

What CIPA requires

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.

Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.

Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing:

Access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet;

The safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms and other forms of direct electronic communications;

Unauthorized access, including so-called "hacking," and other unlawful activities by minors online;

Unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and

Measures restricting minors' access to materials harmful to them.

Schools and libraries must certify they are in compliance with CIPA before they can receive E-rate funding.

CIPA does not apply to schools and libraries receiving discounts only for telecommunications service only;

An authorized person may disable the blocking or filtering measure during use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.

CIPA does not require the tracking of Internet use by minors or adults.

You can find out more about CIPA or apply for E-rate funding by contacting the Universal Service Administrative Company's (USAC) Schools and Libraries Division (SLD). SLD also operates a client service bureau to answer questions at 1-888-203-8100 or via email through the SLD website.

Printable Version

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) (pdf)

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Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)

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The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children's access to obscene or harmful content over the Internet.

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Document specific instances where filtering has impeded learning. Collect examples of blocked websites that have educational value. Present this data to administration along with research supporting the importance of access to digital resources.

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Partner with teachers to identify curriculum-related sites being blocked. Create a coalition of educators who can advocate for more reasonable filtering policies. Remember, strength comes in numbers when approaching administration.

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Teachers + Teacher Librarians = Better Learning

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Consider implementing differentiated access levels for staff and students. Explore override capabilities for librarians and teachers. Many filtering systems allow for role-based permissions that can help balance security with accessibility.

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Research and compare different filtering solutions that offer more granular control. Look for systems that allow customization of filtering levels by grade level, subject area, or user role. Document the capabilities of your current system vs. alternatives.

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Parenting in the Digital Age

Modern kids have never known a time when they couldn't connect to the entire world via the internet. In fact, they probably spend more time online than anyone else-certainly more than their parents. If you are a parent, this presents a problem, as there are explicit, disturbing, and illegal websites and apps that you don't want your kids to encounter. Parental control services can help you manage the ever-increasing number of devices that your kids use.

These software and hardware solutions let you block unwanted web content, limit screen time, restrict the use of risky applications, and more. Basically, they are a way to help keep your kids safer on their computers and mobile devices. Communicate with your kids before implementing any of these options, as it is important that they feel that you respect their privacy. Otherwise, they'll make sure to find a way around any protections, even if you had your kids' best interests at mind. Also, as tech addiction increasingly becomes a problem, it's important that children learn the value of good device habits for themselves.

Monitor Your Child's Devices

Long gone are the days when a single parental control utility on the family PC was sufficient for keeping your kids safe and productive. Modern kids use all kinds of internet-connected devices, and parental control systems must keep up.

Before settling on a particular parental control utility, you need to make sure that it supports all the device types in your household. While all the products in the chart above support Windows and Android, compatibility with macOS and iOS varies. Apple's Screen Time and Restrictions features for iOS are quite capable on their own and come with the added benefit of first-party support. You might consider using these tools over a third-party solution.

Note that some parental control utilities often leverage VPN technology, running internet connections through a local app to enable content filtering. You'll see the VPN icon when such a utility is active, but it doesn't mean the child's connection is secured by a full-scale virtual private network, nor that the device's IP address is masked.

Check, too, that any limits on the number of child profiles or devices won't be a problem. Large families, for example, will appreciate that Norton Family and Kaspersky Safe Kids work on an unlimited number of devices. Most parental control software operates as a subscription service, so pricing tiers tend to align with device limits, though some offer free versions for basic protection on a limited number of devices. If your kids are strictly smartphone users, take a look at our roundup of mobile parental control apps.

If getting parental control coverage installed on each of your family's devices starts to seem too difficult, consider a whole-network solution, such as Circle Home Plus or Open DNS. These systems perform content filtering at the router level, so your settings affect every device on the network. Naturally, you don't get the same fine level of control and detailed monitoring that you get with a local agent on each device, but this is a much broader solution.

Web Filters, Time Limits, and Apps

At the very least, a good parental control tool features content filtering-the ability to block access to websites matching categories such as hate, violence, and porn. This type of filtering only really works if it's browser-independent and works with secure (HTTPS) sites. With no HTTPS filtering, a smart teen could bypass the system using a secure anonymizing proxy website or even a different web browser in some cases. Using a VPN or the Tor browser often breaks even the strongest protections, too. Most also have the option to permanently enable SafeSearch, though those settings are often limited to Google, Bing, and sometimes YouTube. Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo is usually enough to thwart SafeSearch settings. Of course, the most capable solutions also keep a detailed log of your child's web activity.

Access scheduling is another very common feature. Some services let parents set a daily or weekly schedule for device usage. Others specifically restrict the amount of time your kid spends on the internet. Qustodio lets you set time restrictions on individual mobile and desktop apps. This is particularly useful for children who have a habit of playing games or using social media apps when they should be doing homework. The most helpful time-based settings apply to all your kids' devices, so they just can't switch between them to evade limits.

As kids get older, content filtering may start to seem pointless. Hey, you let them watch The Witcher, right? At some point, you start to worry more about their interaction with the wider world. Sure, if their friends come over in person, you can at least meet them, but what about friends on social media and other contacts your child never mentions? Who are they, really, and what are your kids discussing with them? Although some supervision is acceptable, you still need to respect your child's basic right to privacy and encourage open discussion, rather than using parental control software as spyware.

Many services let you monitor contacts and messages and keep an eye out for potentially dangerous or unsanctioned situations. You can even block new contacts or view message content with some parental control software. Keep in mind that this primarily applies to SMS texts; messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Signal do not fall under the same scope. Social media tracking can also provide a glimpse into your child's social life, though many services now only monitor Facebook. This kind of oversight usually requires that you either know your child's login credentials or convince them to log in and install the tracker's app. Disabling this kind of data collection is a snap for the child, so here, more than ever, you need to be on the same page.

Remote Notification and Management

Most kids are on mobile devices at least some of the time, and many are almost exclusively accessing the internet on their phones. Fortunately, many parental control services offer a companion app that lets you view your child's activity, set basic rules, and view notifications as they arrive. This kind of companion app is particularly useful for responding to access or time-extension requests on the go. Otherwise, you manage everything online, where you have fine control over activity reports and restrictions. Any changes you make should propagate to your children's devices when they connect to the internet.

When your child tries to visit a blocked site, makes a post using iffy language, or otherwise bends the rules, the best parental control services sends you a notification to your preferred channel, such as via the app, web, email, text, or some combination of those options.

Advanced Features

When you get beyond the basics, parental control systems start to diverge, with many advanced features to help them stand out from the crowd. Among these standout features are YouTube monitoring, geofencing, and remote device locking. You'll also find advanced versions of standard features. For example, the best content filters don't just use a database of categories. They analyze page content, filter profanity, and allow you to add custom keywords and categories you want to block. We also like those services that support two-factor authentication for account logins.

In order to make an informed choice for your own family, check out our full reviews of these parental control solutions. Several offer free trials, which are worth checking out before committing your time and money.

Where To Buy

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The Best Parental Control Software for 2020

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Modern kids have never known a time when they couldn't connect to the entire world via the internet. In fact, they probably spend more time online than anyone else-certainly more than their parents. If you are a parent, this presents a problem, as there are explicit, disturbing, and illegal websites and apps that you don't want your kids to encounter.

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Work with administration to develop a more nuanced Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that addresses both safety concerns and educational needs. Include clear procedures for requesting review of blocked sites.

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Library/Media Center / Acceptable Use Policy

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Background
The Internet is an electronic highway connecting thousands of computers all over the world and millions of individual subscribers. It provides access to the World Wide Web, information and news groups, experts in various fields, university library catalogues, the Library of Congress, etc. Internet access is available to students and teachers in the West Orange Public Schools. We are very pleased to bring this access to West Orange and believe the Internet offers diverse and unique resources to both students and teachers. Our goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence in schools by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and communication. However, with access to computers and people all over the world also comes the availability of material that is not of educational value in the context of the school setting. On a global network, it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover controversial information. We firmly believe that the valuable information and interaction available on this worldwide network far outweighs the possibility the users may find material not consistent with the educational goals of the district.
Responsibilities
Staff and students using the Internet do so as part of the educational process. Therefore, users must adhere to district guidelines which are provided here. Internet access is a privilege, not a right. If a district user violates any of the acceptable use provisions outlined in this document, his/her use will be terminated and future access could be denied. Some violations may also constitute a criminal offense and may result in legal action. Any user violating these provisions, applicable state and federal laws, or posted classroom and district policies, is subject to loss of access privileges and other District disciplinary options.
1) Guidelines Vandalism and/or harassment will result in the cancellation of the offending user’s access.
Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user or any networks that are connected to the system or the Internet backbone. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or the creation of computer viruses.
Must be in support of education and research consistent with district policy.
Must be consistent with the rules appropriate to any network being used/accessed.
Unauthorized use of copyrighted material is prohibited.Threatening or obscene material is prohibited.
Distribution of material protected by trade secret is prohibited.Use for commercial activities is not acceptable.
Project advertisements and/or political lobbying are prohibited. 2) Netiquette Be polite. Do not get abusive in your messages to others.
Use appropriate language. Do not swear, use vulgarities, or any other inappropriate language.
Do not reveal your personal address or phone number or that of anyone else.
Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed private.
Do not intentionally disrupt the network or other users.
All communications and information accessible via the network should be assumed to be private property.
Using the network for non-school related activities is not acceptable.
Copying software which is copyright protected is illegal. Illegal activities are strictly forbidden. 3) Security
Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If you feel you can identify a security problem on the Internet, you must notify a teacher/system administrator. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet. Such conduct would include but not be limited to: Not following general rules of “netiquette” listed above.
Use of another individual’s account [when they are assigned] without permission from that individual.
Attempts to log-in to the computer as a system administrator.
The placing of unlawful information on a system.
The sending of messages that are likely to result in the loss of recipients’ work or system functionality.
The sending of “chain letters” or “broadcast” messages to lists or individuals, and any other types of use which would cause congestion of the network or otherwise interfere with the work of others.
The attempt and/or the intention to by-pass any security that has been established.
The attempt and/or the intention to access or transmit pornographic material.
The sending of messages that infringe upon the privacy of a third party.
Student use of the Internet for commercial gain.

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Establish a clear system for teachers and librarians to report incorrectly blocked sites. Create a standardized form that includes educational justification for access. This helps build a case for policy adjustments.

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The American Library Association advocates for the freedom to read and opposes restrictive internet filtering that blocks access to information. The ALA's position is that internet filters, while intended to protect minors from inappropriate content, often restrict access to constitutionally protected speech and educational material. The ALA emphasizes the importance of policies that ensure open access to the internet while protecting user privacy and intellectual freedom. They encourage libraries to educate their communities about internet safety and to use filtering judiciously and with transparency.

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The use of Internet filters to block constitutionally protected speech, including content on social networking and gaming sites, compromises First Amendment freedoms and the core values of librarianship. Internet safety for children and adults is best addressed through educational programs that teach people how to find and evaluate information. ALA Statements and Policies on Internet Filtering and Access to Online Information. International Statements on the Internet and Access to Online Information. Publications, articles, and toolkits on internet filtering. The Children’s Internet Protection Act and E-rate. Filtering Software. Additional Resources on Internet Filtering, Digital Rights, and Online Safety.

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Guidelines to Minimize the Negative Effects of Internet Content Filters on Intellectual Freedom

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Guidelines to Minimize the Negative Effects of Internet Content Filters on Intellectual Freedom

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Guidelines to Minimize the Negative Effects of Internet Content Filters on Intellectual Freedom

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Guidelines to Minimize the Negative Effects of Internet Content Filters on Intellectual Freedom

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The Library Privacy Checklists are intended to provide libraries and vendors of all types with practical steps to implement the Library Privacy Guidelines.

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools

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Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools

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Introduction Libraries face a number of challenges in protecting the privacy of users, especially students in elementary, middle, and high schools. School libraries offer print, media, and online content to meet students’ educational and research needs as well as to nurture their intellectual curios…

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