PARENTS in Harrogate campaigning for tougher controls to protect children from adult material on the internet have welcomed the news that the Government is in talks with broadband providers about the issue.
Protect Our Children Online was launched by Harrogate father-of-two Giles Rocholl in response to the growing difficulties faced by parents trying to monitor their children’s online activities.
“A few years ago most households had just one internet access point, which could easily be monitored by parents or guarded with the use of parental control settings on the computer,” said Mr Rocholl.
“Most children now have access to smart phones and other mobile devices with 3G internet access and the situation is very different,” he added.
“Like many people, I believe it is a parent’s responsibility to monitor their children’s online activity but the prevalence of mobile internet has made this an impossible task.”
Mr Rocholl said the best solution involved working with internet providers to find a way of blocking explicit content at source, as has been done in countries such as New Zealand.
“I’m not interested in banning porn and adults wishing to view this sort of material would still be able to “opt in” but by turning the tap off at source children will not come across it accidentally as happens now.”
The Government’s communications minister is in discussions with some of the UK’s biggest broadband providers to look at changing the way pornography gets into homes.
Mr Rocholl said he and other members of the Protect Our Children Online group welcomed the move but insisted that the campaigning needed to continue now more than ever.
“I expect some people to vigorously defend their right to access material freely via the internet but I hope the vast majority of people will support our campaign and help parents manage the difficult task of protecting their children online.”
To offer your support to the campaign download a letter to send to your MP at www.protectourchildrenonline.co.uk. Protect Our Children Online also has a Facebook page and can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CampaignPOCO
