David Cameron has told MPs that children will remain protected by “family-friendly filters” online, in spite of a European Parliament vote threatening pornography blocks.
Responding to a question from Conservative MP Amanda Solloway, Mr Cameron said that the Government would act to help parents.
Last week the European Parliament backed a regulation which said internet companies must treat all traffic equally, “without discrimination, restriction or interference”.
Reassure
The Daily Mail reported that the legislation means the pornography blocks currently in place would be unlawful.
However, David Cameron said he could “reassure” Solloway on the issue, and later a Government spokesman said that where existing rules are not sufficient, it would pass legislation to keep the blocks in place.
In July broadband provider Sky released figures showing that its automatic online pornography block had had significant take up.
More than 70 per cent of customers chose not to opt out of Sky’s Broadband Shield, which is designed to block content deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 13. Previously, when customers had to take action to set up the filter, less than five per cent actually did so.
Blessings
Earlier this year an organisation which provides information on relationships from a Christian perspective produced a resource to help parents talk to children about the dangers of pornography.
Lovewise’s Staying Pure Online book and presentation is aimed at children aged between 14 and 18 and teaches the “blessings of following God’s design for relationships”.
The Daily Telegraph commentator Allison Pearson said in 2013 that parents need to protect children from the “porn version” of sexuality.
Pearson said, “as a society we really do need to teach children a healthy, emotionally connected view of sexuality that has nothing to do with the porn version that has saturated their parallel world”.