Mobile porn laws to protect kids in Australia

AU : THE Federal Government last night vowed to introduce laws protecting children from pornographic images being distributed via mobile phones.

Communications Minister Helen Coonan told The Daily Telegraph the Government would extend censorship and regulatory laws to mobile phones and include penalties.

“I will introduce to Parliament legislation to extend the current safeguards that apply to content delivered over the internet or television to content delivered over convergent devices,” Senator Coonan said.

The changes will include prohibition of content rated X18+ and above, as well as requirements for age-restrictions on access to content suited only to adults.

These prohibitions will be backed by strong sanctions for non-compliance with the new regulatory framework, including criminal penalties for serious offences.

The move comes as child safety groups called on parents to not buy their children phones with internet access.

NetAlert corporate affairs adviser Rod Knockles said last night many parents may not know of the capabilities of latest generation mobiles.

About 40 per cent of mobiles sold are internet enabled, meaning they can download clear images either via email or direct from the internet.

“Parents should think about what age it’s appropriate to give their children mobile phones that are internet enabled,” Mr Knockles said.

These mobiles are expected to grow in use in the years ahead as telecommunications companies push for more revenues through online content.

Among internet-enabled phones, lower end devices have access to their operator’s “walled garden” of content which can include songs, pictures and ringtones.

Recent phones have full HTML browsing – they offer an identical internet experience to your PC, only on a smaller screen. This means the user can visit websites, including adults-only sites.

Third generation networks will make accessing the internet even faster.

Mr Knockles said the images were generally downloaded from home computers, so a family-friendly filter would provide protection.

NSW Parents and Citizens president Dianne Giblin said mobile phone were an essential part of life for children

Source- http://www.news.com.au

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