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One of Australia’s largest news sites was wrong to call new legislation restricting access to adult content on the internet ’censorship’. As a parent I applaud the government’s attempt to address the problem of kids having access to adult content on the internet and via mobile phones.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced on Friday it will force all internet and mobile phone content providers in Australia to restrict access to their MA15+ and R18+ content. From 20 January 2008 the new Restricted Access Systems Declaration will require all content providers to confirm the age of their subscribers before granting access to mature and adult rated content.
Legislation passed in parliament in July 2007 gives the ACMA the power to force internet and mobile phone content providers in Australia to either restrict MA and R rated content, or remove the content entirely. And if you think this new law was unnecessary, you obviously didn’t read a story published by the Daily Telegraph last month in which the Telstra owned website WotNext was allowing members to upload soft porn videos on the unrestricted site. Telstra, which was granted a Family Friendly ISP rating by the Internet Industry Association, has now removed all the soft porn videos from WotNext. But this occurred only after the story broke in the media and only after the website had been peddling this smut to young people for ten months.
An article that appeared on news.com.au on Friday called the new rules ‘censorship’. But I don’t consider restricting adult content to ‘adults only’ as censorship because the content will still be available to any adult who wants it. As a parent I applaud the government’s efforts to address the problem of kids being exposed to adult content on the internet and via mobile phones. Parents cannot monitor their kids 24 hours a day and even if you can take steps to restrict a child’s internet access in the home, what’s to stop them accessing a computer elsewhere? Furthermore, new technology has made it even easier for kids to access mature and adult rated content via their mobile phones. So unless you are prepared to follow your child around all day, it is impossible for a parent to ensure their child isn’t being exposed to smut and other inappropriate content. That is why this new law is so important and why the media should be reporting it, not labelling it.
I seriously doubt news.com.au will find many parents in this country who are willing to support their view that restricting access to porn to those over the age of 18 is ‘censorship’.
