because children are being virtually raised

(from ippr’s press release of 24th March 2008)

The UK’s Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) will publish a report in April, Behind the Screen: the Hidden Life of Youth, which used qualitative analysis of young people’s internet and mobile media consumption.

“Some things they [parents] don’t understand and they ask me to explain it to them but they still don’t understand”

(Girl, 13)

The report argues that with children being ‘raised online’ the Government and internet companies need to do more to protect young people from inappropriate content and to promote and enforce guidelines on the limits of acceptable behaviour. ippr’s report will recommend that:

• Ofcom should produce an annual report on the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at tackling harmful internet content. It should make recommendations to Government where gaps exist (for example, in tackling violent user generated content online) and where industry should be taking further action. If industry does not make progress in this area, the Government should consider extending Ofcom’s remit to cover internet content.
• Sites popular with young people, for example MySpace, Bebo and YouTube, should develop cross-industry guidelines setting out the limits of what young people can expect and how young people are expected to behave in return. Ofcom should approve this and ensure sites are enforcing these guidelines.
• Such sites should commit to existing schemes to keep young people safe online for instance by becoming funding members of the Internet Watch Foundation.
• The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCFS) should be given overall control for media literacy. Information and support for parents should be provided through the extended schools programme and available through initiatives such as Sure Start; so that parents can make sure their children get the best out of the internet without being exposed to unnecessary risks.

The internet offers great benefits and opportunities for young people. But with kids spending an ever increasing amount of time online parents need to be reassured about what they are looking at. Government needs to improve media literacy programmes for kids and to make sure parents are aware of how they can support young people’s positive online experiences. But more importantly internet companies need to take more responsibility for the content on their sites and promote acceptable behaviour.

Kay Withers, ippr research fellow and report author