Nope, I don’t mean those horrible energy companies!
I’m talking about the UK’s four major broadband providers; BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk. They’ve got together and put aside their commercial differences and join forces for the first time to create the not-for-profit organisation Internet Matters. The aim is to help parents safely navigate the internet with their children; offering tips and advice on parental controls, social networking, cyber-bullying, internet grooming and much more besides. Handily, the site breaks down your child’ internet experience by age so parents can stay up-to-date with the latest recommendations for their child’s age group.
The move will cement the UK’s position as a world-leader on child internet safety, advising parents to learn about it, talk about it, deal with it.
As Dexter isn’t quite 2 yet (it’s his birthday tomorrow), he’s currently not interested in the online world. The closest he comes to the internet at the moment is ripping the keyboard off my laptop! But he does has a soft spot for the Google Nexus. Craig downloaded an app called ‘Talking Tom’ which has a cat (Dexter’s favourite animal) that mimics your voice and repeats anything you say back to you. It’s the bane of my life as the voice is very irritating and sounds even worse when it mimics me. Other than that, the only thing he’s consumed so far as a toddler is the odd YouTube video of farm animals that we’re trying to familiarise him with.
Although he never has hold of the tablet without me peering over his shoulder, in time I suspect he’ll be exploring the other colourful apps with his chubby fingers. He’ll also begin to take notice of all those enticing adverts on CBeebies about their online services and games. Although (in the early days) we’ll be there every step of the way to help guide him, I’m all too aware this will be the start of a long relationship with the internet that I won’t always be there to oversee.
I can therefore really see the value of Internet Matters as a one-stop resource for parents. I’ve expressed my concerns over the proliferation of internet pornography and violence before. I thoroughly believe that the majority of porn narratives are unhealthy, unrealistic and exploitative. I also believe that a highly sexualised media breeds mental health concerns, unhealthy body image, earlier initiation of sexual activity and can lead to unfulfilling and unhealthy adult relationships in later life.
Too strong?
Well look at this clip from This Morning around a year ago which saw one mother calling into the show for advice upon discovering her 6 year old son had porn videos on his browsing history. It’s too easy to laugh this off as a case of bad parenting. Yes, most of us would shake our heads at the fact this boy had his own iPad (without parental filters) and is using the device unsupervised, but I still find it frightening that it’s so easy for a child to get access to such content in the first place.
This is what Internet Matters have to say:
www.internetmatters.org has been created as a one-stop hub, directing parents to valuable help and advice from the leading experts at organisations and charities in the child internet safety field. It will act as a single authoritative resource on child online safety. The initiative will encourage the wider technology industry, experts, policy makers and parents to work together to establish world-leading resources for parents which are effectively sign-posted. The idea is not to scare monger but to equip parents with the information they need to make informed decisions.
Harnessing the reach of the four major broadband providers, which extends to 90% of internet households in the UK, Internet Matters is expected to become a household name. Each broadband provider has its own child internet safety programme and network level parental controls, and Internet Matters will complement these activities and provide a forum for learnings and best practice.
Hopefully this move will empower parents and encourage them to take a greater responsibility for protecting their children the darker side of the internet. I hope this is the start of something even bigger and will wake up ISPs and wi-fi permit holders that the internet (both at home and in public places) needs cleaning it. It’s certainly a great start.
