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There was an article posted today on AdelaideNow titled “Wirreanda High School brawl raises Internet concerns” ( View on AdelaideNow ).
Basically it is about some kids had a fight at school ( as kids do ), and someone posted it to the Internet.
I find it interesting that everyone lately is suddenly focused on this big bad Internet.
Kids go and post a video online so its instantly attack the Internet, the government should be controlling it, etc.
Lets have a look at this.
Where did these kids get the mobile phone from for recording of the video? Hmm would that happen to be the parents?
So the two people mainly responsible for any fight footage becoming available online are the parents of the kids involved.
Second, these kids were apparently at School. It is unclear if the fight happened on school grounds or not.
Lets just say for now until proven otherwise that the fight was on school grounds for the point of this discussion.
There have been many other fights filmed and put online that were on school grounds so there is a good chance this one was too.
These kids were at school to learn, they were under the supervision of the teachers.
A fight happened that the teachers did not stop. This could be because they didn’t see it, or they couldn’t get there in time.
But either way it puts a small amount of responsibility onto the school.
Fights have always happened and always will. The response time and how they are handled is what is important.
Finally, if this is such a problem, then why are kids being allowed to take phones with cameras to school?
Its apparently all so bad that the government needs to be involved, talking about filtering, online ombudsmen to make sure content is removed, etc.
Wouldn’t it just be easier to ban phones with cameras in schools? You are not allowed to take knives or alcohol to school so why not cameras?
If after all this content still makes it online, which it will, then the laws should be changed to make filming and/or uploading a video of someone being bashed similar crime to assault
Just because the person filming it and/or uploading it may not have helped in the physical attack, doesn’t mean that they are not just as responsible for causing harm. The people should be tracked down and punished.
The Internet is not some mythical creature that needs to be treated different from other mediums. Uploading to the net is no different from copying the video and sending it through the post.
There are people responsible for a crime, they need to be punished. The parents and the school need to take responsibility also.
Edit: I also find it amusing that its so bad to be online, but its fine for media outlets to show it on their own website.