Internet Watch Foundation

 

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to ensure mobile phone companies provide advice and guidance (a) to parents on how to safeguard children from access to inappropriate content and sites and (b) directly to children about online safety in general, and in particular the dangers of giving personal information to strangers in chat rooms or via the internet. 

 

Ms Blears: We are in discussion with providers of mobile phone services through my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, which they have joined. A sub-group of the task force is considering with them how the models of good practice which we issued earlier this year for the fixed internet are applicable to the mobile industry. The models include advice in both these areas. I am confident that the mobile phone companies have taken notice of these issues, and I understand they will be issuing a code of practice for consultation shortly which will include proposals in these areas. 

 

Earlier this year, the task force ran a campaign to raise parents' and children's awareness of the risks of giving out their personal details to strangers and provide advice on using chat rooms. The evaluation of this campaign showed improved awareness of the core messages.

 

Source: Hansard 18/06/03