Parents need to become actively involved in protecting their children from viewing horrifying images on the Internet, writes Audrey Conlon of the Internet Advisory Board
Do you know what your children will see on the Internet this Christmas? Some of them could come across images so brutal and horrifying that their view of people and the world will be damaged forever. How can you insure that this does not happen to your child? Making the cyber world safer is the primary concern of the Internet Advisory Board, which is calling on all parents to become actively involved in protecting our children while they are surfing the Internet.
Almost half a million Irish families now have an Internet connection in their home, according to figures recently released by the Central Statistics Office. Our children are using it with ease and enthusiasm and alongside movies, television, video games and the mobile phone, it is yet another addition to the family's media diet, providing us with information, education and entertainment.It is widely accepted that the educational and entertainment opportunities offered by the Internet to our children are endless. In their online world they can widen their horizons and get to know and understand the lives of their peers thousands of miles away. They can collaborate with young people in other countries in projects of mutual interest but above all else they can "look outward".
However, as with all major societal developments, there is some unease and concern, particularly among parents and those with responsibility for young people, about their online activities. What are these mediated images coming from cyberspace into our homes saying to us, do we want them and most importantly should we be selective in what we receive? This kind of concern is certainly not new. Over 100 years ago the arrival of cinema caused riots in some countries. In this country our national TV station, and in particular the Late Late Show, has been held responsible for introducing the Irish to sex. Entire libraries are filled with research material on the negative effects of mass communication and the debate continues.
It is not surprising then that this latest technology has raised many questions, particularly with parents and those responsible for the well being of children and young people. Research commissioned by the Internet Advisory Board and carried out by Amárach Consulting found that 86 per cent of Irish parents feel they have primary responsibility for protecting their children when they are online. Sixty one per cent of parents agree that the positive aspects of Internet use outweigh the negatives and 77 per cent acknowledge that their children know more about using the Internet than they do.
Some 44 per cent of parents cite access to pornography as the main negative aspect of Internet use among young children. Whatever your personal views on adult pornography, there is a general consensus among healthcare professionals and child-protection agencies that children and young people should be protected from age-inappropriate material, from images of explicit activity and particularly from images of violent and coercive sex.
The major complaint by all Internet users generally relates to the ocean of SPAM (suspect, problematic or annoying mail) which hits us each time we go online - 50 per cent of all e-mail is now SPAM. Even the most vigilant parent cannot always delete these messages, many of which carry explicit sexual content. Quite apart from any commercial considerations, this also has to be of great concern to the Internet industry, particularly those who are in the domestic market. Why would any parent want to give their children something that has the potential to damage them? Some will argue that what is considered harmful can vary between countries, that it is sometimes a matter of taste, culture and value systems. What is one person's SPAM is another person's exciting offer. Such argument cannot apply to child pornography.
Child pornography is a criminal offence in the vast majority of countries, whether it is available on or offline. The major difficulty faced by police forces in the detection and prosecution of child pornography is that, while the Internet operates on an international basis, the law operates on a territorial basis. In this jurisdiction, the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act (1998) provides for an offence, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years, for anyone to knowingly produce, distribute, print, publish, import, export, sell or show child pornography. Mere possession of child pornography can attract a penalty of five years' imprisonment. In this country there have been several prosecutions and convictions under this particular piece of legislation.
The availability of child pornography on the Internet, more than any other feature of online activity, has raised the question of how Internet content is regulated in Ireland. What is self-regulation by the industry and why is it the preferred model? We have had "censorship" legislation since the foundation of the State so why depart from statutory control in the case of this new technology? If as a society we have been able to ban books, films and video why could we not simply ban material on the Internet? The general consensus is that the global and fast-changing nature of the technology made established forms of statutory regulation impossible.
The report of the Government-appointed working group on Illegal and Harmful Use of the Internet, published in 1998, recommended the introduction of a system of self-regulation by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry. This recommendation was based on extensive research and analysis of established systems of media content regulation in this country and elsewhere. The group, recognising that the nature of Internet technology required a new approach, recommended a partnership approach between all the players involved.
The package of strategic measures included in the introduction of a system of self-regulation by the ISPs were: a common code of practice and common acceptable usage conditions; the establishment of a hotline to investigate and process complaints about illegal material, particularly child pornography, on the Internet; the setting up of an Advisory Board to monitor and oversee the delivery of self-regulation by the industry; and the development of awareness programmes for users, which would allow them to protect themselves or others in their care from the illegal and harmful content on the Internet.
The website www.hotline.ie, established by the Internet Service Providers' Association of Ireland, provides a central point of contact for members of the public who become aware of child pornography on the Internet in Ireland. The hotline attempts to identify the source and if the material is hosted in Ireland, it will request the relevant ISP to remove it. The hotline also liaises with the Garda as appropriate. If the material originates in another jurisdiction, the hotline will notify the relevant authority there so that it can take appropriate action. Activity on the hotline increases month by month.
The Internet Advisory Board is currently running its third awareness campaign, advising parents through a variety of media to supervise their children's online activity, particularly during the Christmas holiday period when many families will have Internet access for the first time. The message is that children will be children and there is no substitute for a vigilant parent.
I represented the Film Censor's Office on the working group on Illegal and Harmful Use of the Internet. I was familiar with the processes involved in statutory regulation of film, video and digital media. The initial response from colleagues to any consideration of regulation of the Internet was an almost unanimous "it can't be done, don't even bother to try".
This was also a view expressed in many other European countries. I would contend that much has been achieved by all of us involved. The level of regulation achieved in a few short years is considerable. While the cyber world, like the real world, will never be completely safe, it is certainly "safer" and with care we can all enjoy its endless possibilities.
• Audrey Conlon is chairwoman of the Government-appointed Internet Advisory Board and a former deputy film censor. For information on the Internet Advisory Board visit www.iab.ie or tel: 01-6028661