Lucy Faithfull Foundation: Stronger stance needed on internet pornography

7 June 2011

Donald Findlater is Director of Research and Development at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Director of Stop it Now! UK and Ireland.

"While I welcome the government's proactive approach to tackling the sexualisation of children, including the publication of the Bailey Review on the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood, I do think we need to take a harder look at the availability of adult pornography on the internet, and move beyond seeing filters and blocking software as the main solution.

"The report recommends that we need to ‘make it easier for parents to block adult age-restricted material from the internet' and that industry should take a greater responsibility for controlling access to adult material online, by making it standard practice that when a device is purchased the buyer is asked whether the filters be switched on or off. This is an important first step. But we need to go much further. Parents need ready access to practical advice on keeping their children safe online at the time of purchase and for the months and years beyond.

"Schools are doing an increasingly good job of educating children about the many and developing online dangers; but the biggest risks to children are not when they are at school, it's when they are online at home or when visiting friends. As a society, we might do a lot of worrying; but what are the real risks that parents need to worry about? In an increasingly fragmented and sexualised society, it is imperative that sound information and practical advice about keeping children safe is readily available to all parents and carers. Some parents, truth to tell, also need a wake up call about the online dangers and their responsibility to take steps to keep their children safe. That means schools, faith communities, retail outlets etc, laying on Internet Safety seminars for parents to help them make basic, important decisions about keeping their children safe, such as: where to keep the computer? Whether to have a webcam? How to set filtering and blocking? How to check the history to see what they have been doing online; and where to go for help and further advice.

"The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a charity that works to prevent child sexual abuse. It has been tragic to witness the deterioration in sexual behaviour in, around, and by children over these last few years. These sexual pressures are unlikely to abate and it will take a real and sustained commitment from Government, industry, parents and teachers to help preserve our children's childhoods. This means practical steps supported by clear guidance, access to sound information and advice and a shared sense of, and commitment to, sexual integrity that can help guide our decisions."

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.