For youths using a school or public library computer, the next “confirm friend” button they click may be the last outside their home.

A bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives in late July could ban minors from visiting social networking sites, chat rooms, forums and blogs in public schools and libraries.

If passed by the Senate, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) would greatly expand the existing Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), which requires Internet filters to be used in public schools and libraries to block adult content for minors, who CIPA defines as anyone under 17.

Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), the primary sponsor of the act, said he hopes to prevent sexual predators from gaining access to children through sites like MySpace, which he said have become “virtual hunting grounds” for pedophiles.

Paige Wiesend, a 16-year-old junior at Waterford Union High School, said she didn’t think public schools would be affected by the act, but libraries were a different story as a couple of her friends use the library to communicate.

“At libraries that would be stupid,” Wiesend said. “If you can't afford a computer, you wouldn't be able to communicate with friends online any other way.”

However, the act does allow minors whose parents have given their consent, or who are under adult supervision, to access these sites for educational purposes.

Exactly which Web sites are educational and which ones are too dangerous for young eyes is a decision that would be left up to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to decide.

Other critics fear that the act could restrict access to many educational sites, simply because they have social networking features like user forums or public accounts.

“There are a number of good websites children will not be able to get to,” said Paula Kiely, Milwaukee Public Library director. “The law seems overly broad.”

Kiely said she would rather see decisions on filtering decisions kept at the local level.

If the bill passes through the Senate to become law, the FCC will set up a committee to determine which sites are acceptable for minors. It will apply to all schools and libraries which participate in a federal program overseen by the FCC called the Universal Service Fund or E-rate, which gives discounts on internet access for schools and libraries.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee librarian Kristin Woodward said that she was not sure of what effect, if any, DOPA would have on the university library’s Internet access, which currently does not require patrons to enter a student ID or password.

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