To think porn should not be easily accessible to children?

[Iggypoppie]

Apologies if there is already a thread? But I'm so pleased that a check and balance is being proposed re making porn only accessible to over 18s.
Bizarrely, On politics live today a young woman was laughing about how absurd the idea was, while an older conservative dude was for it. Strange times we live in.

www.google.com/amp/s/news.sky.com/story/amp/porn-websites-to-check-uk-users-ages-as-law-passes-11604331

How will porn be defined? It's easy to find glamour models and soft porn on social media platforms that require you to be age 13 (I've accidentally seen these so god knows what I'll find if I looked properly) There's also sites like 4chan with plenty of nasty material which I assume wouldn't be blocked as it's not a porn site.

"But if any parents think it is, and reduce their supervision because they think - totally wrongly - that the govt has done something effective, then those DC are at greater risk"

What of parents who trust that the parental controls on their router work?

As for the VPN thing - yes teens. But I doubt many 8yo for example could do that. But what they get with one click if they mis-type "hamster" into google (as I did the other day on my phone on the tube and fuck me was that embarassing!) on a device without protection is worrying.

The internet is mostly porn, I think? Small children will easily stumble across all sorts of stuff when they are young, before they are actively searching it. They do their lessons about sex and relationships and what have you, and they put it into google.

To say that it's up to the parents is 100% saying, yes I know this will happen, I know it will happen with v small kids, by accident, a lot, and I don't think it's even worth thinking about doing anything about it.

I don't get it I genuinely don't.

It’s tricky as people will always find a VPN etc to get around controls, despite it being a carers responsibility to police their child’s internet access, we still need to protect those who aren’t adequately supervised by their parents.

My sex education was via porn, it really isn’t a healthy introduction to sex at all.

" If you educate them about the horrors and that friends will want to show them porn, there is less chance of them wanting to look."

horrors????

and what child won't look? they will all look! i remember being fascinated by the girly mags on the top shelf when I was young, you're after any info you can get.

When my router protection was switched off recently, by the internet company, and without telling me or me having any way of knowing. I spent a lot of time on the phone to support googling porn to see if it was fixed.

Yes of course there is porn on twitter and whatever but I really don't see why making accessing the obvious sites - so it's not 1 click and you've got a close up of a woman being fucked up the arse right there on the home screen before you even select anything - making that a few more clicks what harm does it do?

At the moment it is WAY too easy to get hold of content that is going to be really disturbing for a little kids.

And saying it's the parents fault well that makes people feel better I suppose but it doesn't actually help anything does it.

If adults showing DC porn is illegal and a child protection issue, why is it not a problem if they see this stuff while trying to do a spot of homework about something innocuous eg looking for info about hamsters. I mis-spelt it, internet said, OHO she's looking for x-hamster lets show her all the porn sites! This sort of thing I'm sure can and does happen to DC all the time in homes where their parents are not savvy OR their ISP has fucking gone and fucked up the protection stuff.

"It’s tricky as people will always find a VPN etc to get around controls"

At least by then they are a bit older.

Your younger children who come across content by accident - this does not apply.

When I got in touch with ISP to say the content control was off even though settings said on, they said OH WELL anyone can get round this. I said, what are you implying about my 9yo DD? And are you saying there is no point in anyone bothering with it at all? Why do you offer it then?

Whole thing was hopeless.

It's pointless. You just need to use a VPN to get around it. Some browsers have them built in. Another stupid idea by technically illiterate politicians.

I suppose the issues are

The amount & the fact it is the most popular content on the net - meaning that even innocuous searches can get reams of porn as a response
The 1-click and homepage shows video >> it used to be thumbnails I was quite surprised that it's LIVE as soon as you click on the site. That is something that has changed in last few years
The fact that protections fail, and it's a fact that not all parents are able or interested in doing all the stuff. And that is not their kids fault

I believe there MUST be ways of improving the situation. To throw hands up and say impossible no way, is silly. This is an entirely man made situation. Of course it can be sorted if there is the will. There's not the will, is the problem.

DrDre an 8yo is unlikely to be doing that,

Everyone seems to be focussing on slightly older children who are looking.

I am more concerned with the younger children who aren't looking.

"I believe there MUST be ways of improving the situation. To throw hands up and say impossible no way, is silly. This is an entirely man made situation. Of course it can be sorted if there is the will. There's not the will, is the problem"

This isn't a matter of belief, it's a matter of technology and what is actually possible.

Right now, you would need draconian controls - essentially disconnecting UK from the rest of the world, and slowing it right down so only approved sites could be checked and allowed through, awith user generated content not permitted.

But as that wouid be totally unacceptable, instead you can use filters (not the ones at ISP, but device based ones which are rather better and of course still work when out and about, and there are some excellent free ones), supervise your DC and educate them.

Yes, that is more effort for parents than a 'porn be gone' button, but as the latter doesn't exist (and no-one has ever been able to describe in even the most general terms how one could work) then we are stuck with the need to parent actively and effectively. And talk about that need, so that as many parents as possible know they need to inform themselves and protect their DC.

"I am more concerned with the younger children who aren't looking"

Device-based filter system wouid be the best bet in those circs

I am not talking about for me :D

This is the whole point.
It is about everyone - all the children.

This whole "no such thing as society" thing really meshes with porn well.

The internet is a man made system.
The main players in this are ALL massive corporates.

Of course there are solutions.

People are just to timid / lacking in vision / etc to even bother to think of things that could be done

Or in many cases simply don't care.

Ok - so what are the promising avenues for those solutions?

So what we are left with is the fact that little kids + older kids will be exposed to this content

And women saying yeah sounds tricky who cares.

The internet is a man made system. It is simply a bunch of interconnected servers and computers. It is nothing more or less than that.

Of course there are actions the major search engines & major porn sites could take to reduce the chance of innocent google = loads of porn sites + it's just in your face immediately. 1 click.

I really think that this is a bit pathetic.

The Internet is international. The UK can't say to a Russian or US hosted site not to make their content easily available to children. They are making money out of addicted people and that's all that drives them.

You want me personally to present a solution to this whole solution,

Or, presumably, I should shut up.

No thanks.

That's not an appropriate suggestion.

The large corporates involved could come up with things to help.

They are better placed to do it than me.

Of course, they aren't interested.

In part because women around the world, apparently, say, OH well my kids are fine. So, whatever.

Some adults would argue that porn is a freedom of speech issue and suppressing legal porn is unacceptable.

With very young kids sitting with them is the only way to ensure that they don't type in something like "pussy cat" into search engines.

I am aware of that Golden.

The major search engines could do something. Easily.

The idea that it's impossible so why even try is rubbish.

This is a man mad system. We control it. It is just people pushing content out.

There is no reason that something couldn't be done with major search engines + main providers that would stop a massive amount of accidental "stumbling across".

Well the only reason is apparently that even most parents aren't interested.

"Some adults would argue that porn is a freedom of speech issue and suppressing legal porn is unacceptable. "

Yes I'm aware.

Making it just a touch harder to find / view is hardly suppression though.

I also find it interesting that this is the #1 and often only freedom of speech "issues" that lots of (men) people are interested in.

Man made in PP obviously!

eg

Hello Google how about if someone types in pussy cat or hamster, they don't get a shit ton of porn unless they have opted in?

Google - yep that's totes possible.

Mothers of MN - NONONO that is a gross violation of freedom of speech.

MmmHmmm.

No, Im asking because you are so very sure it is possible.

So could you please share on what you base that assertion.

You seem to be overruling posters whose tech experience/knowledge lead to different conclusions.

And it's perfectly reasonable to ask for info on what solutions you believe will emerge.

I'd like a crash-proof car, but I'm not demanding that manufacturers make it so. It really is that unrealistic, from everything that I know.

But I am open to new ideas, which is why I want to know on what rests your belief that it is possible

There is no reason that something couldn't be done with major search engines + main providers that would stop a massive amount of accidental "stumbling across
How?
The problem is the sheer amount of content, it's the same reason YouTube has questionable content on.

For avoidance of doubt, as I think there's some cross posting here, my comments only refer to the tech issues (I'm not posting about freedom of expression, and I don't think many, if any, posters have)

"eg

"Hello Google how about if someone types in pussy cat or hamster, they don't get a shit ton of porn unless they have opted in?

"Google - yep that's totes possible."

You do realise that today's announcement doesn't mean this?

You have no idea what my background or experience is :D

I think many of you are too stuck in "the way it is" and it's limiting your viewpoint.

To demand that I solve this all by myself or otherwise accept that it's inevitable for x-thousands of kids to be exposed to hardcore porn before puberty is a nonsense answer.

I do not accept the current state of affairs.

I am really interested in why you are being so confrontational to a woman who is simply pointing out it's a bit shit that children with technologically inept parents or parents who can't be arsed etc and who type innocuous terms into Google will be presented with a smorasboard of hardcore porn.

Your belief is that literally nothing can be done.

I find that extremely defeatist. This is a system WE have built. And apparently it's too tricky to stop it harming our kids. To even try.

Yeah, weak.