Protecting children online

At the end of last week Dr. Tanya Byron, a leading child psychologist, published a government backed report entitled Safer Children in a Digital World.  Whilst much of the popular press focused on the elements of her report concerning violence in video games and its implications on child development it was in fact (as the title of the report suggests) a wider discussion setting recommendations about the web and digital media as a whole.  Given that digital communication is taking a greater slice of the marketing pie this raises a number of industry relevant issues.

Firstly, the sheer scale and pace of web development means that unlike the regulatory bodies used for broadcast media (BACC, CAA and RACC) there exists no clearly defined criteria or independent regulatory body governing the online space.  Where brands have been forced ‘off air’ - for example McDonalds and other fast food companies are now banned from showing commercials during kids TV time - they have resorted to the freedom afforded by the online space, but for how long?

Secondly, the growing ‘digital’ divide between parents and children means that many parents do not feel empowered to manage risks in the ‘digital world’ in the same way that they do in the ‘real’ world.

Can we expect brands and agencies to develop their own self-regulating codes to give parents reassurance that ‘we’ are behaving appropriately in the web space?  Essentially, we’re talking about the need to move from a discussion about the potential for the internet and videogames to ‘cause’ harm to one that promotes a shared culture of responsibility and that seeks to inform people in such a way that enables effective industry self-regulation.

Food for thought indeed. 

Jake Courage