Tangled in the Web

New technology, from the Internet to the V-chip, poses new dilemmas for kids and parents.

BY PATTY RHULE

"We may be teens, but we're still kids. We need to be restricted a little bit." -- Matthew Gaylord, 13 Photo: MARK ANDERSON FOR USA WEEKEND Top spots for Web-surfing, teens' rights sites and four kids who gave their personal picks and pans.

The U.S. Supreme Court wrestles with whether government should shield kids from smut on the Internet. The FBI hunts down cyberspace pedophiles, and Congress legislates V-chips in new TVs that can black out offensive shows. It's no wonder teens feel caught in the middle.

Should teenagers be free to roam the Internet, as they would the public library? Are some old enough to make decisions about what to watch on television? Does the government need to protect them from the violence and sexual perversions that seem to pervade new and old media alike?

The first generation to come of age with the digital world has weighed in with the answers: USA WEEKEND's Teens & Freedom survey. The major findings:

-- The majority of teens surveyed, 7 in 10, oppose attempts to limit their access to the Internet.

-- Yet 3 in 10 do not mind some parameters. Of those teens, the overwhelming majority favor limits on where kids can go on the Net.

Proponents of Internet regulation say any kid can be exposed to obscene material and even dangerous pedophiles with a few clicks of the mouse.

"One child was doing a book report on Little Women and got to some hard-core child porn sites,'' asserts Donna Rice Hughes, an anti-pornography advocate who supports the controversial Communications Decency Act. The law, before the Supreme Court at press time, makes it illegal to post offensive or "adult'' material on the Internet. Also easily accessed: popular cartoon characters "naked and having sex,'' Rice Hughes says.

Instead of a law, Jon Katz, a media critic and the author the new book Virtuous Reality, would prefer a contract between adults and responsible teens concerning the use of any media, from rap music to TV to the Internet. Teens should discuss with adults their viewing choices, and adults should experience their children's culture before condemning it. He blames "phobic reporting" for spreading fears about pornography and predators online, he says. "The serious moral issue involving the Internet is that not enough children are using it."

But computer fan Matthew Gaylord, 13, thinks kids need some cyberspace restrictions. "We may be teens, but we're still kids," says Matthew. For now, his parents haven't put any restrictions on his computer use because "he's a pretty moral, responsible kid,'' says his mother, Becky.

Caryn Rupel, a 10th-grader from El Paso, thinks there should be limits on teenagers' computer access. "But I don't think it's up to the government which teens are responsible enough. It should be up to their parents."

Concludes Mark Weller, 18, of Sierra Vista, Ariz.: "The problem adults see is easy access to pornography. The problem they don't see is they need to teach kids at an early age that these things are bad.''

Teen idols say they have limits and rules to follow, too