In recent years, the media plays a crucial role in providing information to the public. While some argue that there should not be any restriction or censorship on the ideas and news that people receive in the social media, I still believe that certain controls by the governments are necessary. In this essay, I will present my arguments supporting this perspective.
To begin with, it can be easily seen that the media contains a huge amount of sensitive and elicit information that may be inappropriate for many viewers. By this, I mean that if the social media is completely free to access, a variety of disturbing contents such as violence, sexual assault and child abuse could be spread dramatically. This might not only harm the viewers’ mental health but also encourage crime, especially in children as their actions are often affected by trends or influencers in the Internet.
Another reason for filtering information on some occasions is the prevalence of fake news in the media. In today’s era, more and more misinformation might be spread as a tool that criminals use for personal gains, leading to eroding public trust or even posing threat to a stable society. For example, during the covid 19 pandemic, there were many people who took advantage of social networks to circulate false information about the epidemic situation for the purpose of confusing citizens and profiting for themselves. Thus, the country is likely to sink into chaos if the government cannot control the flow of news.
All things considered, despite the essential role of media as a boundless information source, it is evident that uncontrolled freedom poses risks. Therefore, I hold the view that it is the responsibility of governments to place some necessary restrictions on false and harmful information in the media to safeguard their citizens.