Thousands of children are at risk of being exposed to adult material on the internet unless controls surrounding age verification are made more secure, children’s TV presenter Floella Benjamin has suggested.
Baroness Benjamin sought to make the case for improving the security of online filters as the House of Lords debated the Online Safety Bill.
“Most people would find it very odd that the Government should have encouraged the industry to provide adult content filters but in a way that makes it perfectly possible for children, as well as adults, to lift them,” she said.
Lady Benjamin said that results in a “dangerous situation” and one that needs addressing.
She told peers she was aware that internet service providers had agreed that should filter settings be changed the account holder should be emailed to alert them.
But she labelled such a measure as “completely unsustainable”, pointing out that age verification should be about preventing access in the first place so an email afterwards would not solve the real problem.
She also said that many people do not check their emails, especially ones from their internet service provider.
“Even if someone reads their emails very quickly it will probably take several hours before they can do anything,” she said.
“During that time their children could freely be accessing adult material.”
That failure to check and read emails would “leave a significant number of children exposed to adult content for a week or more and others exposed permanently”.
She sought to highlight the issue by tabling a probing amendment to the Bill which was moved by Baroness Howe of Idlicote.
The proposed legislation seeks to bring in restrictions on what children can watch online into line with those in place regarding offline material like DVDs.
This includes ensuring internet filters cannot be lifted without age verification and to educate parents about online safety.
Internet Safety and Security Minister Baroness Shields insisted there is “no wavering” in the Government’s commitment to online safety.
She added more will be achieved by working with internet service providers (ISPs) and using a voluntary system rather than introducing legislation.
Lady Shields told peers: “We’re talking about not what is going to be done but how it’s going to be done.
“The real issue is that by the time legislation is out there and in the public domain the world has moved on.
“So what we’re trying to say here is that we are starting a consultation very shortly on age verification. It’s part of our manifesto commitment.
“We’ve been seeking advice of experts for the last couple of months, we’re now going to be opening that up to the public.”
Lady Shields said measures will be taken to ensure UK law complies with European Union regulations by December 2016.
She explained: “We’re trying to legislate many small bits and bobs if you will, and I think what we have to do is continue the process of cooperating with industry to evolve the regimes that protect children online. That is the only way.
“If there’s something wrong with the way that ISPs are doing this, if you have things you want to raise, raise them – the ISPs will change their procedures and they’ll modify accordingly.
“They are committed to this agenda.
We don’t need to legislate here.
“We’re committed to this.
We just have to continue to work with them through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, through the voluntary mechanisms we have established and we will accomplish more – I assure you.”
Lady Benjamin, who appeared in Play School, withdrew her amendment but noted she was happy to hear the minister’s passion on the issue.
She also recalled how sex offenders told her they had been “traumatised” and “damaged” by viewing adult content when they were younger.
Lady Benjamin told Lady Shields: “I recently visited Rye Hill prison in Rugby where there are more than 680 sex offenders.
“I spoke to some of these prisoners and they all said to me: ‘Baroness Benjamin, if only I was protected from seeing adult content material when I was a child, I wouldn’t have been so traumatised and damaged the way I am today’.
“There are many, many other children who are being traumatised this way by being able to see adult content material so I’m so pleased to hear your commitment and what the Government is going to do.”
The Online Safety Bill will now face further scrutiny as it heads to its report stage.
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