David Cameron’s pledge to parents over internet pornography

Published on 21/12/2012 00:00

PARENTS will find it easier to protect their children against internet pornography under government proposals that will prompt them to tailor settings to choose what youngsters can access online, according to Prime Minister David Cameron.

He vowed to act against a “silent attack on innocence” and shield children from the “worries and complexities of adulthood”.

He said that, under the proposals, parents would be prompted to tailor their internet filters when switching on new computers if they declare there are children in the house.

The prompts would show parents how to restrict access to social networking websites like Facebook; to block sites to younger children but allow access to older siblings; or to ban certain sites altogether.

Parents would have the option of repeatedly clicking “OK” on the filter set-up, which would automatically ban things such as pornography or self-harm websites.

Internet providers would have to verify the age of the person setting the controls, meaning children could not set the filters themselves.

An option of having “default on” filters for new computers was not suitable, the Prime Minister said, as this would lead to the blocking of too wide a range of websites.

Mr Cameron said: “Let me reiterate – with our new system, every parent will be prompted to protect their child online. If they don’t make choices, protection will be automatically on.

“Once all this is in place, Britain will have the most robust internet child protection measures of any country in the world.”