Is censorship needed in todays society?

Definition:
- Censorship: to officially suppress or remove parts of various
media deemed unacceptable by an authority
o Such as inappropriate or unacceptable content like
content with pornographic, extremist, racist or otherwise
immoral or offensive themes, or sensitive information

For
Media can be used as a medium to strike fear into ppls hearts
o E.g.
ISIS Beheadings
London Tube Bombings
Necessary for the National Security
Hitman, a technical manual for independent
contractors was used to kill 3 ppl in USA
o Access to extremist, racist or anti religion media can
cause some ppl to turn violent or to have
misconceptions about other races, religions can cause
serious security issues in many countries
Dzhokar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev influenced by
radical Islamic websites, caused the boston
marathon bombings
ISIS websites influenced several ppl around the
world to either join them in Syria or to attempt to
behead infidels in their home country
Minimises clashes between different groups of people.
o Media which seek to offend certain groups of ppl should
be censored as they have the ability to offend certain
groups of ppl.
o Series of cartoons, some depicting the Prophet
Mohammed as a terrorist with a bomb, published by
Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
o Protests against the cartoons were held around the world in late January
and February 2006. Many of these turned violent, resulting in at least 200
deaths globally, according to the New York Times.
HOWEVER, some people may argue that censorship is not needed as people
should have the ability to choose what they want to read. People should be
allowed to exercise their right to read whatever they want to read.
o However, I Argue that the lack of censorship provides freedom of access
to undersirable content and act as a negative influence.
Especially In todays society, where people from all walks of life
have access to the internet and smart phones. Children as young
has 7 or 8, have access to the internet and smart phones, and
these minors are typically highly impressionable, making
 censorship more necessary since minors have access to the
internet
o Minors lack the judgement to filter thru obscene and graphic materials,
making it impt for censorship. Children are highly impressionable and may
be prone to imitating violence and other unacceptable behaviour.
o Research on violent television and films, video games,
and music revealed that media violence has increased
the prevalence of aggressive and violent behaviour
amongst youths.
o Hence, censorship of inappropriate information such as
gore and sexual references serves to protect those of
tender age, whose immature mentality leaves them
vulnerable to the unhealthy messages sent across the
screen
o Provides freedom of access to undesirable content and
act as a negative influence
E.g.
Pornography
Internet gaming
Access to sexually pervasive content can cause
addiction to porn, which gets more serious if left
unchecked
o With the exponential increase in online Jihad
recruitment, there is an increasing need for censorship
to eradicate these extremist ideas so that young
innocent minds would not be polluted with hate and
animosity towards another race or religion
Todays society is an increasingly gloablised one,
where we interact with people of other races and
religions on a daily basis. This children should not
be brainwashed from young to view certain groups
of ppl as negative influences, and should treat all
types of ppl the same.