Harmful Content on the Internet - 4th February 2008
ISPA held its annual Parliamentary Advisory Forum in Portcullis House on Monday 4th February on the pertinent issue of harmful content on the Internet. The event was hosted by Derek Wyatt MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Communications Group (apComms), and was well attended by Parliamentarians, Government officials, law enforcement representatives and leading figures from industry.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Tanya Byron, who is leading an independent inquiry into harmful content on the Internet and in video games. In her presentation, Dr Byron praised industry for engaging with the Review and revealed that more children and young people responded than all other respondents combined. She further identified some of the problems highlighted by the evidence that the Review team received, such as the lack of awareness amongst parents of online issues and a knowledge gap between parents and children in this area. Dr Byron explained that one method of addressing this was by engaging parents in a 'bottom-up' approach. She also suggested that clearer industry standards, empowering children and supporting parents were possible ways of improving the situation. Dr Byron's review will be published at the end of March.
Following Dr Byron was John Whittingdale MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, which is undertaking its own inquiry into harmful content on the Internet. He began by saying that he fundamentally saw the Internet as a force for good that has revolutionised modern society. He explained that it was the anxieties that the Internet also cause that were the motivation for the Committee's inquiry. Mr Whittingdale argued that while Government regulation is not the preferred option, he felt the Government do have a responsibility to protect young people, particularly over issues such as cyberbullying and child abuse. ISPs, he added, have a greater role to play than mere conduits and this extended past issues of child safety to areas such as infringement of potentially copyright content online. The Committee is due to start hearing oral evidence in three weeks time, with the report expected to be published in July.
The next speaker was Peter Hodgson, founder and CEO Of Brightfilter, who spoke about the lack of controls and regulation on the Internet, in stark contrast to all other forms of media. Mr Hodgson argued that whilst child abuse images are illegal, he also believed that codes of practice could be introduced to combat forms of harmful online content. He did, however, state that he felt that the controlling a child's access to harmful content was the role of the parent and not the ISPs. He concluded by saying that solutions did exist to combat harmful online content, including parental responsibility and controls, but that ISPs also have a part to play.
The final presentation came from Camille de Stempel, ISPA Council Member and Director of Policy at AOL who, speaking in an ISPA capacity, gave an industry perspective. Ms de Stempel spoke about the importance of industry working in partnership with Government to develop best practices and legislation and of the need to increase public awareness and the power of community to help effectively moderate content. She stressed the importance that media literacy and education initiatives were achieved through good practice and self regulation that involved all stakeholders. Several challenges were also identified, including international cooperation and consumer expectations.
A lively and informed question & answer session followed the presentations. Discussion was wide ranging with delegates raising issues about freedom and responsibility, how best to combat suicide websites, the balance between personal responsibility and legislation, the problems of sensationalist media reporting and who should pay for any education campaign similar to that of a public health campaign. Questions came from a number of delegates including MPs, Government officials and industry representatives. Following the conclusion of the question and answer session, informal discussions were continued over food and drinks.
ISPA would like to extend our gratification to the host and speakers for their contribution to the event and would like to thank the sponsor, Brightfilter, and all those who attended.