The First Amendment is vital to our political system, our cultural
institutions, and our routine social interactions with others. In this
provocative book, Kevin Saunders asserts that freedom of expression can
be very harmful to our children, making it more likely that they will be
the perpetrators or victims of violence, will grow up as racists, or
will use alcohol or tobacco.
Saving Our Children from the First Amendment examines both the value
and cost of free expression in America, demonstrating how an unregulated
flow of information can be detrimental to youth. While the great value
of the First Amendment is found in its protection of our most important
political freedoms, this is far more significant for adults, who can
fully grasp and benefit from the freedom of expression, than for
children. Constitutional prohibitions on distributing sexual materials
to children, Saunders proposes, should be expanded to include violent,
vulgar, or profane materials, as well as music that contains hate
speech.
Saunders offers an insightful meditation on the problem of protecting
our children from the negative effects of freedom of expression without
curtailing First Amendment rights for adults.