Brigham Young University in Utah has blocked YouTube.com from its server. The Mormon school blocks all Web sites it deems to contain "pornography, adult content and violence" in order to "provide a safer environment when browsing the Internet by preventing access to inappropriate Web sites."
Why does BYU feel the need to protect its students from the evils of YouTube? No one uses YouTube to get porn; most people just use it to watch reruns of "America's Next Top Model" or the "Charlie the Unicorn" movie.
Additionally, YouTube's Terms of Use prohibit any material that is "unlawful, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, violate any law, or is otherwise inappropriate." It's not feasible that students could use YouTube to frequently access the kind of material that BYU purports to block.
Although BYU is a private university and they therefore have the right to take such an action, that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Blocking "adult content" from adults while they're at college isn't going to protect them once they graduate. No matter what one's religious beliefs, blocking YouTube at college is like homeschooling children to keep them from hearing bad words; they're eventually going to be exposed to the material you're trying to protect them from.
YouTube is a type of expression that probably contains ideas contrary to those taught at BYU, but it's difficult to learn from those who agree with your opinions all the time. Instead, perhaps BYU should challenge its students to use YouTube to promote their own ideals instead of shutting others out.
