Parents are to get a say in whether pornographic content should automatically be blocked from the Internet.
A new discussion paper published by the government today asks families and businesses whether they think automatic online blocks are required to properly protect children from sexual websites.
Currently, it is up to parents to install ‘child locks’ on explicit content but this can be confusing for the less internet-savvy and these filters are not 100 per cent effective.
The consultation document also asks for views on how best to shield youngsters from other potentially harmful content such as pro-suicide, anorexia, self-harming or gambling sites, or those that expose them to online cyber-bullying.
Ministers have proposed three options for keeping youngsters safe online:
- An ‘opt-in’ system where the Internet Service Provider or internet-enabled device (e.g. laptops, mobile phones, TV) blocks harmful content automatically before purchase. The blocks will only be removed at parents’ request.
- An ‘active choice’ system where customers are always presented with an automatic choice between whether to have filters and blocks installed. This choice would be given at purchase or on first installation.
- A mix of the above systems, where customers are given a list of online content that would be blocked unless they choose to unblock them
The paper was published today at a UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) conference and unveiled by Children’s Minister Tim Loughton and Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone.
The ten-week consultation process will then feed into official government policy, to be set out later this year.
It follows the publication in 2011 of the independent Letting Children Be Children report by Reg Bailey, chief executive of Mothers’ Union. It argued that parents are best placed to manage their children’s access online but that many do not know how.
Businesses – for example manufacturers of internet-enabled gadgets, Internet service providers and public wifi providers – are also being canvassed for their opinions.
But ministers have said they believe an automatic ‘block’ alone would not solve the problem. Instead they would want a clear prompt for the user, giving them a chance to actively change the settings, along with better education and information for families on what they can do to protect kids from harmful content.
Childrens Minister Tim Loughton said: “The internet is transforming every aspect of society and family life... But with the benefits come risks. Growing numbers of parents do not feel in control of what their families are exposed to online. Many want to take responsibility, but all too often they do not how know how.”
He added: “We have been clear that the internet industry needs to raise its game to equip families better in being able to block what their children access on the internet… We have always been clear we would turn up the heat on industry if it did not make fast enough progress.”
But he said there was “no silver bullet to solve this” and that “[n]o filter can ever be 100% foolproof,” adding: “Automatic filtering on its own risks lulling parents into a false sense of security and there can never be any substitute for parents taking responsibility for how, when and where their children use the internet. The answer lies in finding ways to combine technical solutions with better education, information and, if necessary regulation further down the line.”
Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said: “The nature and complexity of the changes initiated by the Internet and new technologies is a huge challenge to us as a society.
We should continue to encourage young people to use technology but it's important that they are made aware of the dangers involved too. We all have a role to play.”
According to recent studies, nearly 20 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds have seen potentially harmful user-generated content, soaring to 32 per cent among 14 to 16-year-old girls.
Around eight per cent have experienced bullying online and 12 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds and 24 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds use social networking sites to communicate with people not known to them.
The government consultation comes as more than 100,000 people signed-up to a Safetynet campaign calling for ministers to introduce legislation to ensure internet service providers filter pornography at source.
Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “Long-term we back the next step which is the introduction of an opt-in filtering system for all internet accounts in the UK, if necessary, supported by Government regulation.
“This will mean all new Internet accounts will default automatically to a setting that blocks access to adult content. Over-18s can then request for this to be removed if they wish.”
But Naomi Gummer, a public policy analyst at Internet giant Google, recently argued it is a "myth" that laws can prevent children from viewing explicit material.
She said many parents are "complicit" in allowing their children to view social networking sites despite being too young, adding: “Technology is moving so fast that legislation is a blunt tool for addressing these challenges.
“But also the truth is that parents are complicit in their kids using underage social networking sites. It is about education, not using legislative leavers.”
She also claimed the extent of sexual content online was exaggerated: “Twenty-five per cent of kids have seen sexual images, but only 14 per cent saw them online. Of that, four per cent say they were upset by the images, two per cent of those images are hard-core and violent and the rest is nudity in the same way as perhaps seen in the offline world.”
