on why parents want self-regulating content providers

An 1990s editorial by Ellen Goodman on the difficulty of countering cultural messages appears in Dr. James Dobson's book Bringing Up Boys. I've found an excerpt of this editorial in an unrelated website and have linked to the cached version to make it easier for readers to find.

Sure parents can monitor their children's websurfing but it's hard to devote an hour a day or so to sitting idly by while a child does research or plays educational and recreational games. This practice also does not support the development of the child's independent judgment and responsibility, which are chief goals of parenting.

Perhaps non-parents will read this article and understand the struggles of parents who do want to protect free speech but also want to engender a sense of social responsibility in content providers. If not, they can understand more clearly when they become parents at some time in the future.

An excerpt from the excerpt by Ellen Goodman:
What the media deliver to children by the masses, you are expected to rebut one at a time.

But it occurs to me now that the call for “parental responsibility” is increasing in direct proportion to the irresponsibility of the marketplace. Parents are expected to protect their children from an increasingly hostile environment.

Are the kids being sold junk food? Just say no. Is TV bad? Turn it off. Are there messages about sex, drugs, violence all around? Counter the culture.

Mothers and fathers are expected to screen virtually every aspect of their children’s lives. To check the ratings on the movies, to read the labels on the CDs, to find out if there’s MTV in the house next door. All the while keeping in touch with school and in their free time, earning a living.