think of the children
Appeal to innocence
Think of the children is a rhetorical appeal invoking child welfare to shut down debate or justify censorship, regulation, or moral panic.
The phrase sarcastically describes arguments that bypass logic by summoning protective instincts: Every time someone proposes internet regulation, it's "think of the children" all over again.
The appeal is often effective precisely because questioning it seems callous.
Irrational collective fear wave
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
- appeal to emotionArgument targeting feelings
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
regulation · decency · outrage · pearl-clutching · advocacy · lobbying · watchdog · campaign
Preventing harm or loss
- childproofingSecuring hazards from toddlers
- guardianshipLegal care of another
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
screening · background checks · shelter · security · helmets · car seats · lifejackets · gates
Public aid programs
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
- adoptionLegal family formation
- orphanagesFacilities housing parentless youth
- custodyProtective care or control
neglect · intervention · advocacy · UNICEF · humanitarian · poverty · malnutrition · education access
What's passed down
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- environmentExternal conditions affecting life
- climatePrevailing atmospheric conditions
sustainability · debt · investment · policy · education · opportunity · responsibility · next generation
Openness to harm
- impressionabilityEase of being influenced
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
- purityUncontaminated quality
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
exposure · age-appropriate · trauma · desensitization · exploitation · manipulation · grooming
moral panic
Irrational collective fear wave
- censorshipOfficial content restriction
- appeal to emotionArgument targeting feelings
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
legislation · regulation · decency · outrage · pearl-clutching · advocacy · lobbying · watchdog · campaign · slippery slope
safeguarding
Preventing harm or loss
- childproofingSecuring hazards from toddlers
- guardianshipLegal care of another
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
monitoring · screening · background checks · shelter · security · helmets · car seats · lifejackets · gates · fencing
social services
Public aid programs
- foster careSupervised substitute parenting
- adoptionLegal family formation
- orphanagesFacilities housing parentless youth
custody · neglect · intervention · advocacy · UNICEF · humanitarian · poverty · malnutrition · education access · healthcare
legacy
What's passed down
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- environmentExternal conditions affecting life
climate · sustainability · debt · investment · policy · education · opportunity · responsibility · next generation · posterity
vulnerability
Openness to harm
- impressionabilityEase of being influenced
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
- purityUncontaminated quality
corruption · exposure · age-appropriate · trauma · desensitization · exploitation · manipulation · grooming
- emotional appealsguilt trip, flattery, nostalgia, outrage, scare tactics
think of the childrenreasoned argument
Position backed by logic
evidence-based reasoning · logical analysis · cost-benefit analysis · rational discourse · empirical approach
think of the childrenpersonal responsibility
Duty to own consequences
individual liberty · consenting adults · freedom of choice · mind your own business · live and let live
think of the childrenanti-censorship
Opposing content restriction
First Amendment · freedom of expression · marketplace of ideas · parental choice · personal freedom
think, child, thought, thinking, thoughtful, thinker, thoughtless, thinks, unthinking