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SCMP Reporter

How can children be protected from obscene material online?
The number of websites with  obscene content  has increased in recent years. To prevent children from being  affected by such material,  monitoring  is crucial.
First,  education is an important way to give children  the concept of surfing the internet correctly. They  must learn to absorb useful and appropriate knowledge and resist  adult material.
I also think the  internet service providers (ISPs) have a responsibility  to set up a program as a filter to  withhold material from various  websites. It is an effective method to protect  youngsters  because of the  reliability of advanced technology.
Also, it can protect  children from obscene information when  parents are not at home.
These two solutions are good ways to deal with the problem because  they would not destroy the freedom of speech and data transfer.
Harrison Chan, Tsuen Wan
The internet is a versatile tool to access  information. Without screening software in the computer, children can easily access  indecent and obscene material.
First,  parents should be more aware of the  kinds of websites that their children  visit frequently. They may install  software to filter out  websites containing indecent and obscene materials  to protect their children from  such content.
Moreover, education is very important. Schools should teach students how to screen materials  carefully. For example, schools should teach students the definition of indecent and obscene materials by showing them  examples.
Vivian Chu, Lok Fu
It is pity if obscene materials taint children's minds. However, how can we protect them from obscene material, since they  have the right to read  magazines and surf the internet?
Some may say  the law can help.  I wonder whether it is useful, since  ISPs have provided filtering services for years.
Children can be protected from obscene items  through education. Adults  may feel embarrassed to talk to them about what would be considered  obscene.  Children are  curious, so  they find the information they  want on the internet.
If we instil the correct and positive attitudes in  them, and teach them how to distinguish  good from harmful materials, the situation can be improved.
We should not be conservative and  use our power to force them stay away from  indecent information.
We should be open-minded and educate them on what is obscene and teach them how to protect themselves when surfing the internet.
We are not God, we cannot always monitor our children.  But education can enrich children's knowledge  about the concept of indecent materials.
Terence Chung, Sheung Shui
In this digital age, the internet has become an essential part of our daily lives as we use it for many purposes such as  reading newspapers, collecting information and seeking entertainment.
However, it is not uncommon to  access  some websites with  obscene material and adult elements.
Parents are the primary gatekeepers  to monitor and educate their children not to look for  such indecent websites.  Parents need to install firewall and filtering software.  Second, they  need to monitor their children so they do not  access  such material on the Net. More important, parents have to educate them on the correct attitude towards this issue and raise  their awareness through  communication on this sensitive topic.
As a result, children  will not be easily influenced by obscene and indecent materials.
Bang Wong Yiu-hung, Sha Tin
What do you think of the proposed food safety law?
Since China has become the factory of the world,  production of various goods has increased on  the mainland  and one sector  is food exports. Some  businessmen want to  earn higher  profits, so they create many illegal methods to lower  their costs.
In recent years,  contaminated  foods  made in China  have been exposed, one by one. Recently, the  tainted milk powder that spread to other dairy products  made tens of thousands of children ill and  shocked everyone in the world. It  brought shame on China.
I think  these heartless businessmen are terrible, they are just focused on the profits they can make, no matter the consequences to the public.
Therefore, it is necessary for the government to set up the food safety recall law. Otherwise, there will be more victims of poison food  and China's  reputation will be damaged.
Leung Yuen-sum, Tsuen Wan
How can we improve  English standards?
My years of experience in Hong Kong's public schools tell me that Craig Gibson (Talkback, October 20) and Charles Loy Yue-man (November 3) are only partially correct in their reasoning behind who is responsible for the lower English standards of today's students.
The real truth is that there is no one  culprit.  Most people involved in the education system of Hong Kong can  blame themselves. There is a huge conglomerate of reasons behind this  trend.
Let me share my  observations, not  in order of importance.
The  administrators of many schools are out of touch and uncomprehending as to what is truly needed in the classroom (too busy gaining 'face' for themselves).
Many teachers are burned out by the indifferent administration and ridiculous workload  (teachers should focus on teaching, not administrative work).
Overzealous parents  push their children until they are physically and mentally exhausted (it isn't uncommon for primary students in my school to be simultaneously learning three to four musical instruments plus attending after-school cram courses in mathematics, English, Chinese and science).
The Education Bureau is controlled by politicians, not educators.
Children today have more distractions than those  of yesteryear (the internet, cellphones, online games, portable game systems, drugs, greater peer pressure, homework overload).
All  these factors and more previously mentioned by other correspondents are to be blamed for the lower standards.
Now, we know the cause; when will someone be brave enough and willing to make a change?
Here's an initial suggestion - do what is best for the children, then other positive changes should follow.
James Warren, Tsz Wan Shan



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