Tech Shout!

Victoria, an Australian state has banned the online video Web site YouTube from government schools. In fact, YouTube has been banned in all of the 1600 government/state schools, in a bid to tackle the growing problem of cyber bullying.

Victoria, which happens to be Australia’s most populated state, has banned the YouTube website soon after a gang of male school students videotaped their assault on a 17-year old girl on the outskirts of Melbourne. This video was uploaded on the YouTube Web site late last year.

According to Jacinta Allan, the Education Services Minister, the schools and their Internet service providers already filtered the Web sites that were available to students, and YouTube had been added to a list of blocked sites.

The State government has never tolerated bullying in schools and this zero tolerance approach extends to the online world, added Allan.

“All students have the right to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment — this includes making students’ experience of the virtual world of learning as safe and productive as possible,” she said.

At Melbourne Grammar School, headmaster Paul Sheahan said students had unrestricted access to websites, with the school advocating free speech.

“There is some good resource material on (YouTube and MySpace) and if we block access, the boarders can’t get it, while day students can access it at home, so there is an issue of fairness,” Mr Sheahan said.

He said the school knew of the negative clips on some sites and tell parents in its newsletter. “It won’t be a heavy-handed ‘don’t’ use the sites,” but parents would be reminded “not to assume that all is sweetness and light”.

One student asked about the ban said it would be useless — “It will make it more popular. If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
The student, who didn’t want to be identified, said it was easy to access banned sites, with firewall tips available online.