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Should censorship of online media be allowed? That question has plagued the minds of many debaters and has given massive headaches to debaters all around the world. Recently, across countries like Jordan, The United Kingdom and more have begun censoring the internet. This essay will describe the pros and cons of censoring the internet.
Argument For Censorship
On one hand, research shows adolscents aged 12-15 exposed to the internet freely with no restrictions [1] have a higher chance of developing mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Additionally, it's not just about the kids. Online censorship helps prevent the spread of vile and graphic content on the internet. It saves adults from being traumatized and kids from being scarred for the rest of their lives. Have you ever seen a graphic video or anything of that sort? This suggests that unrestricted access can expose users to harmful material. The dangers are present everywhere, leaving no room for an argument against anti-censorship, since in that case, any vile media can be uploaded.
Arguments against Censorship
On the other hand, censorship devalues the basic concept of the internet -- sharing; the internet was literally made to share information across computers [2]. Furthermore, censorship has disabled millions of people from viewing the resources they need to, for example, schools. During school projects, students may need to get reliable resources from trusted sources, but since they don't have access to reliable info, they can't do their project well.
Conclusion
Ultimately, we citizens can't do much about what the government and what organizations can do with online media, but what we can do is spread the message of online censorship's pros and cons to get people on the right path. As Socrates once said: "The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms"; having correct info will lead to the best possible decisions.