Children’s protection picking up the PACE

The era when dad’s girlie magazines were hidden in the sock drawer from the

kids seems like the good old days for today’s parents worried about what their

children might see and read.

Children with access to a computer at home,

school or libraries can easily find or stumble across pornography and other

unsuitable material on the Internet. Parents can set their own guidelines at

home, and schools have strict rules for student use of computers in the

classrooms. Now libraries are putting the clamps on, too.

Hawai’i State

Public Library System, when requested by parents, will put an electronic

“block” on their kids’ library cards. The designation will tell library

personnel that the cardholders’ folks or guardians don’t want the youngsters to

use a library computer without the assistance of a librarian.

Officials

figure that the adult supervision via the PACE (Parents Authorize Cybespace

Entry) program will keep children from accessing on-line material that their

parents would never allow at home. Good idea. Kids grow up fast enough without

being exposed to the adults-only portion of the Internet.