As currently framed, I see problems with this proposal at many levels -- not least that the proposed implementation won't work very well (it'll be readily possible for someone with moderate technical knowledge to overcome the blocks) and will be counter-productive (by blocking material which there's no justification for blocking).
I'm concerned that Internet Service Providers will feel compelled to take a "better safe than sorry" approach, and will therefore block by default access to sites on, say, sexual health, or others such as Lovehoney which aren't pornographic but cover adult topics that might offend some people.
The way I see it, there's a whole list of things to protect children from before pornography, and this idea of default blocking won't change much anyway.
Does anyone know if the consultation is live yet? I can't find it. When it is up can someone please link to it or tell me how to find it? And in case you hadn't guessed I think it is a ridiculous idea both from a practical and libertarian viewpoint.
I'm concerned that Internet Service Providers will feel compelled to take a "better safe than sorry" approach, and will therefore block by default access to sites on, say, sexual health, or others such as Lovehoney which aren't pornographic but cover adult topics that might offend some people.
Have this issue on my phone already. If I try to access Lh via anything other than Opera it won't work until I phone Vodafone to get it unblocked - not a conversation I should *have* to have!
Luckily it works on Opera though.
I agree with your points CH but it's hardly surprising :/
On a slight tangent - how do you rate Opera Alicia?
It works. I'm guilty of not caring how my browser works on my phone as long as I can operate basic websites. I can't figure out how to post on the forums but I really only use it to read posts and articles from Twitter feeds so it doesn't need to be fantastic. I use Firefox on my computer but that's more through habit and useability :)
ive had problems on my phone too. but phone providers class anything such as casinos as "adult content" even a website selling bathtubs was banned for me because people were in towels ( totally covered)
Also what actually happened to sitting with your kids or being near them while they used the internet. When i was at home we had one computer with internet acces and my parents monitored what we did and how long we were on.
I actually think it is a good idea in theory, but like someone above said there will probably be way around any blocks. Yes parents *should* be monitoring their kids but from what I've heard from my boyfriends children the majority of them dont. The kids shouldn't come across certain things from their parents failings.
I also nearly ended up in a very awkward situation trying to find an image for a behaviour assignment I was doing for uni. All I searched for was submissive behaviour in parrots or something along similar lines and it came up with loads of porn pictures. Not good when the kids were around, luckily I closed the screen in time. Before that I never understood how people accidently found porn.
That said I'm not against porn and watch it semi-regulary myself, I don't see anything wrong with it between consenting adults in the porn itself, the people viewing it are doing it because they want to etc but children don't need to be dragged into the adult world either accidently or intentionally. Let them be niave to the pressure sex can put on a young person for as long as possible.
Would I opt in? yes I would but I don't think there should be a charge for it though.
Yes but some parents don't care or just think 'oh not my child' its those children that need protecting not the ones with parents with common sense. Also you don't need to specifically go looking for it to find it as I found out a year ago.
I have also accidentally found porn, as a child. my parents would monitor us on the computer during the day, making sure we didnt get up to no good. anyway one sunday morning my younger sister and i got up early and decided we were going to go on the computer without asking (i recon i was about 12 at the time). we very innocently googled our names, and those of people we knew, followed by some expletives because we thought it would be funny. I think i was scarred for life when i saw the contents of f**k. com or whatever else we searched(very imaginative googleing from a couple of curious kids...).
Anyway my mum soon found out that we had used the computer without asking and gave us a prompt telling off for it. (amazing what the see history button does) we got a bollocking for going onto "dodgy sites" (her words), for lying to her about what we had been going onto and another for giving the comupter a virus. They promptly upgraded their anti virus and put parental blocks on adult content.
it is also a good idea for also other adult content (such a a detailed description/how to guide/shocking images of torture, that i found when looking for details for my water board recently).
i personally dont watch porn as i dont see the appeal in it, but understand why others do. they are not planning on banning porn altogether, but they are protecting vunerable people from being exposed to it and if someone wants to find something that badly, im sure it could be found. so anyway to opt in is probably a good idea for all adult content. They shouldnt charge for it, but then again internet providers are running a business, not a service as most people assume.
I heard a while ago about the idea of putting all porn sites under .xxx rather than.com etc,,, as this would make it easier to block porn either at home via parental control of via your ISP. This seemed a good idea to me better than blocking all adult sites.
I'd hate to have to ring my ISP to ask if they could let me on adult sites so I could still visit Lovehoney!
Anyway I'm betting in most families with kids the adults may still want to veiw adult sites once they kids are in bed - and why shouldn't they! But if they opt in they defeat the object (catch 22 really)
I think the ISPs should ask if you would like parental controls set up and be able to set up them for you when you sign up whereby you pick a password and all adult sites are password entry only.
Whatever they put in will inconvenience people who should be able to access adult sites the most. It won't prevent access for children. They will find ways around the block.
It is really difficult to protect your child completely from accidentally stumbling on things - although the safe search settings really do help. Children from the age of 6 upwards are expected to have internet access for their education. All the things about rules, having the computer in the living romm etc help but you cannot hide children from the internet. This is why e-safety is a crucial part of every child's education.
The other issue is that no matter how closely you protect your children, not everyone does. I have had to deal with primary children sharing images/clips etc. I have also had experience of a couple of 10/11 year olds with such entrenched disrespect for women that they verged on unteachable. Their access to porn was a significant factor in the development.
So, I don't believe that what the govetrnment is suggesting is right or workable but there is a need to protect children in sime way.
I agree HoneyTongue, something needs to be done to protect children from the adult content that they seem to be able to sniff out a mile away!
Trouble is now a days so many innocent google searches can bring back some very unexpected results. Even if you have taken steps to watch what your child is doing on-line it is so easy for them to get round it. I know I used to! My parents didn't know how to work a computer until recently so I could pretty much get away with anything when their backs were turned and they wouldn't know how to find out!
Just a thought, but as a legitimate business (and I'm not saying the porn industry isn't, but you know what I mean), surely LoveHoney, and other similar companies can protest this against this as being an online only business, it would have a major impact on custom and earnings?
Trouble is now a days so many innocent google searches can bring back some very unexpected results.
Although it's a lot better than it was when I was a kid - googling for a pluto assignment pulled up odd sites then! Now, I never stumble on anything unless I use words with dual meanings (which can obviously be a problem for children who don't understand words with dual meanings).
Kids will always find away around things - this type of thing won't work, as someone mentioned, parent's should have access to adult content that is legal so the "think of the children" angle doesn't work with this change! Of course there are some changes that could be made to protect children better but I don't think this is one of them.
Plus, in my view parents need to just prepare their childrens for seeing things like this because if they don't discover it at home, they'll discover it at friends houses with less computer savvy parents and since it hardly makes sense to punish children for being inquisitive it makes sense to just prepare children for what's available on the internet (in a tactful manner appropriate for the childs age) and pre-empt its discovery.
Trouble is now a days so many innocent google searches can bring back some very unexpected results.
Although it's a lot better than it was when I was a kid - googling for a pluto assignment pulled up odd sites then! Now, I never stumble on anything unless I use words with dual meanings (which can obviously be a problem for children who don't understand words with dual meanings).
Kids will always find away around things - this type of thing won't work, as someone mentioned, parent's should have access to adult content that is legal so the "think of the children" angle doesn't work with this change! Of course there are some changes that could be made to protect children better but I don't think this is one of them.
Plus, in my view parents need to just prepare their childrens for seeing things like this because if they don't discover it at home, they'll discover it at friends houses with less computer savvy parents and since it hardly makes sense to punish children for being inquisitive it makes sense to just prepare children for what's available on the internet (in a tactful manner appropriate for the childs age) and pre-empt its discovery.
Adx
I agree AD! You obviously can't wrap children in cotton wool and it will be a lot easier if parents prepared them for such things, instead of trying to make them avoid it. If they work with their kids, the kids may open up, but if you punish them for being inquistive, they will only sneak around and hide it. Unfortunately they will find it else way, if not on the internet, but through TV, magazines or DVD's, or through other kids via texts or emails etc. Everyone is curious.
I remember years ago, that if you wanted to look for certain things without anyone knowing about it, that you go through google, and if anyone looked through the history, all they would see is the google search engine and not what you actually looked for.
Most search engines, google included, have their own filters, so that what your results won't be anything that should be age restricted.
No matter what we do an intelligent and curious child will always have someway of accessing adult material. Personally speaking I'm glad my first experience of porn was at the age of 11 and was relatively straight. My brother left his porn mags out.
My 8 yr old nephew's first experience was being sent a link to tubgirl. Don't google it its grim. Seriously don't. Ok I know you are but don't blame me when you do. If there had been adult content blocks on the family computer then he'd have been unable to access that.
There are also those of us who didn't get internet access til our midteen's, I brought my first mobile at the age of 16. We have no idea what its like to be a child in an era where there have always been computers around. They will work out a way around the block and if they don't theres always the mystery porn that always used to seem to turn up in local woodland!
It's pointless and it won't work because the technology simply isn't good enough to detenct the difference better porn, adult content, and health/biological facts. Plenty of parents already have these blocks on their computers and they don't work correctly- porn still gets through but you can't look up where to get treatment for an sti. It's proven countrys whos laws are a lot more relaxed around sex such as the netherlands have lower teen pregnancy rates. The more they make it taboo the more kids will be curious about it- just like the fact the heroin only became a massive problem after they made it illegal.