Almost three quarters (72%) of British Internet users are concerned that children are accessing harmful content online through their mobile phones, according to recent research commissioned by Mott MacDonald Schema, a UK-based independent management consultancy advising the technology, media and telecommunications industries.
The survey was carried out online by research firm YouGov, which interviewed 1990 adults between 26 and 29 September 2008. 71% of respondents believed operators should be accountable for monitoring and addressing harmful content over mobile devices. When asked about ways to stop children from accessing harmful content on their mobiles, 58% of respondents agreed that barring sites and content according to the age of the phone owner would be effective.
According to the research, another preferred method would be to provide individual users with a pin code that reflects the users age and limits the type of content children can access. Alternatively, respondents agreed with implementing an SMS warning system that would send a message to a nominated Parent phone when a child accesses a harmful site. Both these measures had the approval of 46% of the participants.
The mobile Internet has made it much harder for parents to monitor what their children are viewing they simply cannot be everywhere or looking over their childrens shoulders all the time, says Tom Allen, head of Mott MacDonald's information, communications and media business. As such, mobile operators have a moral obligation to provide safeguards that limit the access of children. Operators should consider self regulation and their social responsibility, as regulators may soon demand that operators implement methods to protect children.
Despite their concerns, however, the study found that people may not be willing to share the type of personal data, such as age, that is needed for operators to provide this security. According to separate research conducted by Mott MacDonald Schema in December 2008, more than one in three people would be unwilling to reveal personal data to their Internet service provider for security purposes while online.