Tanya Byron's study into Children's Computer use - would love your thoughts plse?

[JustineMumsnet]

Tanya B's big study for the government into kids' computer use is out today and the Guardian would like us to comment.

Here's her proposals as reported in the Guardian this morning:

"Her report, treading a delicate line between tighter regulation and better coordinated parental education, will argue that industry and government must do more to provide information to parents on how to set timers on computers, video games and console games. She will propose:

· New codes of practice to regulate social networking sites, such as Bebo and Facebook, including clear standards on privacy and harmful content;

· A gold standard for the use of console games, including clear set-up guidance for parents on issues such as pin codes and locks;

· Better information for parents on how to block children accessing some websites. Byron has been struck that the technology exists to impose timers and filters, but there has been little take-up, knowledge or development of the technology;

· A new law based on a 2006 Law Commission recommendation making it unlawful to assist suicide on the internet;

· A national council to implement her strategy, with a fixed timetable for industry experts; a parents' panel and child development experts to implement her recommendations.

In typically timely fashion we've also published our Guide to keeping your children safe on the net following our survey and incorporating many of your tips.

Do let us know your thoughts on what Tanya's saying (and our guide and whether it's helpful/could be better etc)

Message withdrawn

My DC have a v tech console for age 4-7. They don't like it, but many friends have looked at it in horror.

www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/27/byron_review/comments/

Geek comments

A slightly annoying point is that the newer games consoles (PS3/XBOX360) DO have parental controls built in. Parents just aren't using them and happily buy 18 rated games for kids younger than 18.. ..buggers.

Again who trumped who here? Or is it just a coincidence?

Tanya Byron's report was commissioned ages ago. Probably just a coincidence in timing in terms of publication.

More regulation = more excuse not to make decisions for yourself. Parents need advice, not protection. Children need to be protected BY THEIR PARENTS, until such time as they are capable of making decisions for themselves at which point regulations aren't going to be relevant.

Please do not start censuring the internet. We must learn to take responsibility for ourselves individually and jointly. There is a lot of appalling stuff on there but it is better to avoid it than to be ignorant of it's existence.

I think she's right. All this stuff about it being the parent's responsibility doesn't take into account a) parental ignorance -we're the first generation who have had children growing up with the internet who know more about it than we do - and b) in some cases, parental irresponsibility.

The problem with saying that parents should take responsibility is that if they don't (for whatever reason), it's their children who will suffer. That's why the state or the industry has a duty to step in. It's not about parents, it's about children. In any other area of life where laws exist to protect children, we don't say that the laws aren't needed because parents should be doing their job properly. We recognise that sometimes, they don't, so society has to act. Regulating the industry won't do anyone any harm, so what's to object to?

I think the problem is not just that some parents don't care, but that some parents don't have any knowledge of social networking sites. Technology moves so fast - I assume that social networking sites are a bit like mumsnet, but I don't really know and although I am on facebook, I never use it. I know nothing about games that don't involve a board and dice.

Its not really like porn magazines under the bed - its more like having a pile of magazines in the living room that keeps growing all by itself, so you think you just have the Radio Times and the Cbeebies magazines, but "Big and Busty" or whatever keeps appearing.

Its difficult to avoid things like mobile phones - they become so much part of the way of life. I don't like the idea of my children having one, and theoretically would go along with wannabe's idea of letting buy their own. However, I can see why people might like them. When I was my son's age (4) I think I knew our home phone number, and if I were to phone it, I had a fairly high chance of somebody answering. However, I am not sure whether I should teach him our home number (which we hardly ever use), my mobile number or DH's mobile number, or a work number all of which are much longer than the number we had in the 70's. I am sure there is a simple way of getting around this, but it does seem easy to give him a mobile (in a few years time, not now!) If I take advantage of modern technology, is it reasonable to make my son live as though its 1976?

Anyway, I think regulation is good if it publicises the fact that there is something for parents to worry about, but on the other hand,

1. I don't see how it will be able to keep up with technology
2. Will it make parents think that somebody else is dealing with the problem, when they need to make the effort to be informed about what their children are doing.

Don't really agree with you LittleBella. "Parental responsibility doesn't take into account parental ignorance"??? Surely parental responsibility involves making informed decisions before allowing your child access to something? Saying our children are growing up knowing more about the Internet is pure laziness. The Internet in it's commercial, not -just-for-geeks guise has been around for not much more than 10 years. The explosion of social network etc, much less than that. Parents have a responsibility to know something about the thing they are letting their children have unrestricted access to.

I do agree that some regulation can't hurt but it's also unlikely to have a major impact. The regulation won't be able to keep up with the rate of evolution. At the moment we're seeing sites like SecondLife et al where you can build an island/house/etc. Future releases of open APIs and tools will allow individuals to build their own worlds that exist in their own right and can be visited by anyone. At which point how do you regulate at an individual level without suppressing freedom of speech/expression?

I am also concerned because children are so worried about their image and are so easily swayed by what they see and hear. We on Mumsnet may be able to spot a Troll, but younger children are not always able to split what is real and what is unreal.

Thanks for all your input - as ever have stolen all your thoughts .

Do check out our Guide to keeping your children safe on the net We'll be publishing the results of the survey we did on monday.

Moomin, very interesting posts about what happened at your school - good for your HT! I remember visiting a secondary school about 9 years ago and seeing some foul stuff on a pc which the children had written about their teacher - the poor woman had no idea.

Geekboy, it might seem like laziness to you but for for some of us old dinosaurs technology has moved so fast in recent years that I for one have no idea what half these things mentioned here are (as per Madameplatypus' post). My dh doesn't even know how to send a text message! And if you are a long-term SAHP it can be even worse as you are generally out of the loop when it comes to new technology.

But I am aware that I need educating in order to protect/advise my dc.

'in fact perhaps we need to get our HUSBANDS off the porn sites and demand a return to booby-mags under the bed, so the children can go there for illicit sex info instead'

not bloody likely!what about mummy's porn stash under the bed as well so the kiddies can learn that women like sex as well and arent just men's playthings to be wanked over??!?

in all seriousness(is that a word?)i would ideally like to see an internet where you wouldnt be able to view explicit images atall without paying first,where female game characters look more ike athletes and less like glamour models,and where world of warcraft was forced to add a programme that causes the players' pc to blow up if they play for more than 10 hours continuosly.

Seriously if you think things are moving quickly now, watch the next 5 years. Convergence is starting to tie disparate services (tv/mobile/Internet) into a single, always on experience. Your porn will become more hi-def, games more gruesome and all available on smaller and ever more portable devices.

Laziness is probably too harsh but I have a hard time accepting that people are happy to buy games consoles/computers but not bothered to take the time to find out at least something about them.

I've just read the MN guide - thanks, that's very useful (and lol at Soupdragon and the 'blue tits' - it reminds of when dd and her friend aged 4 and decided to look for 'Bobinogs' on the pc; between them they managed to type 'boobis' and then decided to ask me for help before clicking on any of the options shown!)

Geekboy, I compltely understand your point re games etc. To me it would be no different to buying my dc a book or a dvd - I would check its suitability first.

Thanks very much for you input on this folks - Guardian piece is here

I liked it, nice and SENSIBLE