Picture this: You’re in Spanish class, all pumped to explore hot news from Telemundo, and then bam – the dreaded padlock icon slams down on your screen like a guillotine. Aleeza Siddique, a 15-year-old from Northern California, knows this pain all too well. Her excitement turned to confusion as her school’s internet filter turned what could’ve been a lesson on current events into a wild goose chase for vocabulary lists and Quizlet quizzes.

Welcome to the world of online censorship in schools, where a national survey conducted by the Center for Democracy & Technology has revealed that web filters are more invasive than your Aunt Karen at Thanksgiving. A whopping 70% of both teachers and students report that these filters often interfere with getting assignments done, turning school browsers into digital Fort Knox–minus any actual security.

Why all the fuss? Blame it on the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which, while designed to keep kids away from the grim side of the internet, has morphed into a censorship juggernaut. According to a 2024 investigation by The Markup, schools are blocking way more than just explicit content. They’re banning access to vital resources like sex education and LGBTQ+ support materials, all while pretending to uphold ‘safety.’ Aleeza’s experience is just the tip of the censorship iceberg.

The selectivity of these filters is suspect. Elizabeth Laird, the director of equity in civic technology at the Center, noted that the scope of online censorship isn’t just pervasive—it’s packed with an editorial agenda, leaving students like Aleeza grappling with arbitrary restrictions and a lack of transparency. Who wouldn’t be frustrated?

A staggering three-quarters of teachers surveyed reported that students are finding ways to dodge these digital barriers. So, we have a situation where students are blocked from doing meaningful research, but their ingenuity has turned the school’s shiny filter into a mere suggestion. It’s like trying to stop a teenager from sneaking out; good luck with that.

This raises the haunting question: Are schools really protecting students, or just turning them into experts in finding workarounds? Nearly one-third of teachers indicated that resources related to the LGBTQ+ community are routinely blocked, with many also citing the suppression of info on reproductive health. Talk about irony—blocking students from vital educational resources under the guise of protection feels like someone trying to teach sex-ed using a flip chart.

Aleeza’s advice? Schools should be clear about what’s banned and why. As she puts it, “If you’re going to police us this hard, at least let us know what we’re being protected from.” Maybe one day, she’ll find those Telemundo links liberated on the school Wi-Fi—and when that day comes, you know the whole class will cheer. Until then, we’ll just keep wondering what unfathomable wisdom the web filters are stashing away from us.