Issue no. 412 - 28 November 2010

• Briefing on the internet, e-commerce, children and young people (CHIS)
  Consolidating and updating submissions recently made to the Ministry of Justice, the Office of Fair Trading and the Commission of the European Union on aspects of children's and young people's engagement with online commerce.

• Ireland - New child protection internet facility (RTE)
  The governments of the Republic of Ireland and of Northern Ireland have launched a new online child protection internet facility. The resource, believed to be the first of its kind, will be available for use by child protection professionals in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The cross-border initiative was jointly launched in Newry, Co Down, by Minister for Children and Youth Barry Andrews and the Stormont Social Services Minister, Michael McGimpsey. Mr Andrews said the new facility would be updated daily, and would provide comprehensive information across a range of issues for staff working with children.

• ITU - Child Online Protection taken to new level (Press Release)
  A new phase of concrete activities for ITU’s Child Online Protection (COP) initiative will encourage the development of national COP centres, awareness campaigns and community forums to create a safe environment for young users of the Internet. The COP Global Initiative was announced by the Patron of COP, HE Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica and ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun Touré at a ceremony in San Jose, Costa Rica. The COP Global Initiative will build on Guidelines developed by ITU and partners from industry, civil society, governments, UN agencies and other stakeholders. The announcement will see COP shift from the production of these guidelines to the development of industry codes of conduct; the establishment of national hotlines; the development of national roadmaps and legislative toolkits; training for parents, guardians and educators and harnessing the power of multistakeholder collaboration through resources such as an online platform for sharing advice and information.

• UK - Vulnerable children 'will lose out' under plans to merge child protection unit with National Crime Agency (Press Association)
  Vulnerable children will lose out under government plans to merge the UK's online child protection unit into the new National Crime Agency, its outgoing head said. Jim Gamble, who resigned as chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop), said child protection issues simply would not be able to compete with terrorism, gun crime and drugs in a list of broader priorities. He also warned that costs would rise under the National Crime Agency (NCA), as at least one internet service provider (ISP) - which tracks down internet addresses to individuals - says it would charge the larger NCA administration costs for the service which it currently provides to Ceop for free. These costs would be about £100,000 per year for each ISP.

Issue no. 411 - 3 October 2010

• UK - The Impact of the Commercial World on Children's Wellbeing: (Department for Education)
  Report of an Independent Assessment. In The Children's Plan the DCSF gave a commitment to commission an independent review of the impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing. That assessment, conducted by Professor David Buckingham and a panel of experts, is now complete and this report presents their findings. The assessment was launched with an online call for evidence, which was widely circulated to relevant stakeholder groups. This resulted in a range of submissions from businesses, trade associations, non-government organisations, consumer groups, teacher unions, campaigners, and others.

Issue no. 409 - 6 June 2010

• DE - Erneute Stellungnahme des Hans-Bredow-Instituts zum Entwurf eines novellierten Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrags (Heise)
  Ende März 2010 haben sich die Ministerpräsidenten der Länder auf einen Entwurf für die Novellierung des Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrags geeinigt. Der Vorschlag wird derzeit in den Länderparlamenten diskutiert. Das Hans-Bredow-Institut nimmt die Auseinandersetzung der Landtage und Bürgerschaften sowie die weiterhin geführten öffentlichen Debatten zum Anlass, erneut zu dem aktuellen Entwurf Stellung zu nehmen. In dem Dokument stehen die derzeit in der Öffentlichkeit diskutierten Hauptkritikpunkte im Fokus der Bewertung.

• eNACSO launches Agenda for Action (eNACSO)
  eNACSO launches its Agenda for Action at the international conference “Protecting Children Online” on 6th May 2010. The eNACSO Agenda for Action includes recommendations to governments, industry and other stakeholders on how to create a safer online environment for children and young people. EU - Speech at the eNACSO Conference Protecting Children Online

Issue no. 408 - 25 April 2010

• UK - Action to tackle online threats to children 'must speed up (Daily Telegraph)
  Action to protect children from pornography and other online threats must be accelerated to keep up with advances in technology, a Government adviser has warned. Tanya Byron called for "less talk... more action" on issues such as parental controls on mobile phones and warned youngsters could now access adult sites with "extraordinary ease". The TV child psychologist said the creation of Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) and a national safety strategy had made the UK a world leader in tackling the issue. But, in a progress report two years since she first suggested the body - a coalition of Government, charities and industry - Professor Byron said it must "speed up to stay ahead". She also criticised a lack of sufficient consultation with young people and parents and urged the Government to push through new rules on video game classification before the election.

Issue no. 407 - 28 March 2010

• Chatroulette.com déconseillé aux enfants (O1.net)
  Ce site permet de regarder de manière aléatoire d'autres internautes qui se filment avec une webcam. L'association e-enfance alerte sur les risques de se retrouver face à des exhibitionnistes.

• DE - Länder bringen neuen Jugendmedienschutz auf den Weg (Heise)
  Die Staatskanzleien der Bundesländer haben den jüngsten Entwurf für einen neuen Jugendmedienschutzstaatsvertrag (JMStV) auf den Gesetzgebungsweg gebracht. Die Schlussfassung soll den Ministerpräsidenten plangemäß in deren Sitzung am 25. März vorgelegt werden. Die derzeit anstehende Novelle soll für eine Vereinheitlichung des Jugendschutzes auf Bundes- und Länderebene sorgen. Gleichzeitig wurde das Zusammenspiel der Selbstregulierung durch Brancheninstitutionen (etwa die Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia) und der staatlichen Aufsicht im Rahmen der "regulierten Selbstregulierung" neu justiert. Dabei wurden auch Internetanbieter wie Social Networks ins Auge gefasst. Große Hoffnungen setzen die Länder auf technische Maßnahmen und den "Rating-und-Filtering-Ansatz", nach dem Inhalte von Anbietern gekennzeichnet und so etwa durch Software auf dem PC der Minderjährigen gefiltert werden können.werden also privilegiert. siehe auch Kennzeichnung von Internetinhalten als Teil des "technischen Jugendschutzes".

• DE - Stellungnahme des Hans-Bredow-Instituts zum Entwurf eines novellierten Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrags (Hans-Bredow-Institut)
  Im Dezember 2009 haben die Länder den Arbeitsentwurf einer JMStV-Novellierung vorgelegt. Hierzu hat das Hans-Bredow-Institut offiziell Stellung genommen und die vorgeschlagene Novelle vor dem Hintergrund der wissenschaftlichen Evaluationsergebnisse kommentiert.

• EU - eNACSO seeks Project Coordinator (eNACSO)
  Save the Children Denmark is seeking an experienced and motivated Project Coordinator to lead and develop an EU funded thematic NGO network, the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online (eNACSO), which consists of children's rights NGOs from, at present, 18 EU member states. The network works to promote and support actions at national, European and international level to protect children and promote their rights in relation to the Internet and new technologies. It is the EU's first NGO network dedicated solely to advocating for European and international action on online child safety. eNACSO is co-funded by the European Commission's Safer Internet Programme. Deadline for Applications 15 April 2010.

• OII - Child Protection and Freedom of Speech Online: Report (OII)
  The interests of advocates of online child protection and freedom of expression have often been portrayed as diametrically opposed. The OII invited advocates on both sides of this debate to meet in October 2009, in order to open channels of communication, explore different perspectives on the fundamental rights of protection and freedom, and map areas of agreement and difference. A report of the discussions, including participant position papers, is now available. Issues discussed at the forum included content blocking and filtering, government legislation and law enforcement, and parental involvement and education. There was also discussion of location-based services, data protection and privacy, liability of Internet Service Providers, age verification online, lawful interception legislation, appropriate classification of written content and pseudo-images of sexual abuse, and encryption.

• UK - Review into sexualisation of young people published (Home Office)
  An independent review into the sexualisation of young people has been published. The author, psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos was commissioned by the Home Office to look at how sexualised images and messages may be affecting the development of children and young people and influencing cultural norms. She also examined the evidence of a link between sexualisation and violence. Key recommendations include: launching an online 'one-stop-shop' to allow the public to voice their concerns regarding irresponsible marketing which sexualises children; encouraging the Advertising Standards Agency to take steps to extend existing regulatory standards to include commercial websites; requiring broadcasters to ensure music videos featuring sexual posing or sexually suggestive lyrics are only broadcast after the watershed; ensuring games consoles are sold with parental controls already switched on. Purchasers can then choose to unlock the console if they wish to allow access to adult and online content.

Issue no. 406 - 21 February 2010

• UK - David Cameron promises to tackle advertisers who sexualise children (Guardian)
  The debate over how to protect children from sexualisation intensified as David Cameron promised to clamp down on irresponsible advertising agencies, and the government indicated that it plans to tighten regulation of online adverts targeting children. Cameron announced that a Tory administration would withdraw all government advertising for three years from agencies that design adverts aggressively marketing their products to children. The Tories would ban the practice of peer-to-peer marketing techniques targeted at children, and also work with headteachers to terminate contracts between schools and vending machine firms. Ben Bradshaw, the culture secretary, and Ed Balls, the children's secretary, met the Advertising Standards Authority last month to impress upon the body the need to regulate advertising aimed at children on the internet. The committee of advertising practice is expected to announce next month that it will extend the ASA's remit to the internet.

Issue no. 404 - 21 December 2009

• EU - eNACSO launches Digital Manifesto (eNACSO)
  eNACSO launches its digital manifesto at the fourth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Egypt on the 14 November 2009. This manifesto includes recommendations to governments, industry and other stakeholders on how to create a safer online environment for children and young people. The European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online is a network consisting of children's rights NGOs from across the EU working for a safer online environment for children.

Issue no. 403 - 24 November 2009

• EU marks 20 years of Child Rights Protection and Looks Ahead (RADID)
  The world celebrates the 20 th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). To highlight the joint commitment to the principles of the UNCRC, the European Commission, UNICEF and UNRIC will jointly mark the 20 anniversary of the adoption of the Convention.

• IGF - Hearing back from young people (Childnet International)
  Video with messages for the IGF. Shown at the workshop on Internet Governance - Activating and Listening to the Voice of Tweens at Sharm el Sheikh 17 November 2009.

Issue no. 402 - 18 October 2009

• CoE - Recommendation 1882 (2009) on the promotion of Internet and online media services appropriate for minors: (Council of Europe)
  In a recommendation, the Parliamentary Assembly calls on the member states to increase protection for minors who use Internet and online media services, particularly through the use of parental filter systems. PACE also urges the member states to support the creation of secure, restricted-access networks which filter content harmful to minors and comply with codes of conduct. In addition to technological solutions, the Assembly favours measures to raise public awareness, focusing on the risks and opportunities for minors using Internet and online media services. It also recommends that the Committee of Ministers work towards ensuring greater legal responsibility of Internet service providers for illegal content, and that it call on the member states which have not yet signed the Convention on Cybercrime and its Additional Protocol to do so without delay.

• CoE - Recommendation on measures to protect children against harmful content and behaviour (Council of Europe)
  Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on measures to protect children against harmful content and behaviour and to promote their active participation in the new information and communications environment.

Issue no. 399 - 7 June 2009

• Alarm bells ring over "sexting" (BBC)
  It may seem like harmless fun to a 15-year-old wanting to impress their new boyfriend or girlfriend. But the practice of sexting - sending nude or semi-nude images of oneself to others via mobile phones - is having unintended and, in some cases, tragic consequences. The risk of having one's private pictures distributed among schoolmates or uploaded on to social-networking websites is only one part of it. It could also lead to a criminal conviction as a sex offender for any teenager who forwards them on to someone else.

• EU - Cory Doctorow discusses "SEXTING" (INSAFE)
  Science fiction author and prominent blogger Cory Doctorow discusses the relationship between "SEXTING" and information diffusion. He suggests various ways we can demonstrate the viral spread of information to young people so they are aware how quickly photos and video spread once released onto the Internet. This film posted on YouTube is an outtake of a film produced for a training event in Rome, May 2009. Full film will be uploaded soon. Filmed and edited by the Insafe Team.

• EU - Participants in the conference Safer Internet for Children adopted the Prague Declaration (CZ Presidency)
  The Czech Ministry of the Interior in cooperation with the European Commission organised a ministerial conference Safer Internet for Children - fighting together against illegal content and conduct on-line in Prague on 20 April 2009. The Czech Republic was represented by Minister of Interior Ivan Langer and the Police President, Oldřich Martinů. The conference was dedicated to the process of improving cooperation between all stakeholders in the field of promoting safer Internet and mobile communications, especially for children. At the end of the conference the participants adopted the Prague Declaration.

• ITU - Guidelines proposed for Child Online Protection (COP) initiative (ITU)
  Guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace were presented as drafts for discussion on 18 May in connection with the theme for the 2009 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The draft guidelines will be reviewed at the Strategic Dialogue on Safer internet Environment for Children in Tokyo, 2-3 June. The final Guidelines on Child Online Protection will be issued at ITU TELECOM WORLD, 5-9 October 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Comments will be accepted until 30 June 2009. see Draft Guidelines for Children; Draft Guidelines for Parents, Guardians and Educators; Draft Guidelines for Industry; Draft Guidelines for Policy Makers. See also ITU Press Release.

• US - "Sexting" not just a teen problem (Press Release)
  A new survey from the marketing consultancy and research company, AK Tweens, shows an alarming trend among tween girls - sexting. Believed by most experts and parents to be a "teen" only problem, the survey revealed that 30% of tween girls - many as young as 10 years old - are "sexting" - sending, receiving and/or posting sexy messages/photos (e.g. photos of themselves in their underwear, or without clothes, messages of a sexual or suggestive nature) online and via cell phone/email.

• US - NTIA Online Safety and Technology Working Group (Press Release)
  U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the Online Safety and Technology Working Group - a working group dedicated to keeping children safe on the Internet. More than two dozen private sector and child and family advocacy leaders will help evaluate industry efforts to protect the privacy and safety of children and families online. Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace/Fox Interactive Media, and Ms. Anne Collier, Net Family News/ConnectSafely.org will act as Co-Chairs of the Group.

Issue no. 398 - 13 April 2009

• UK - Generation sexting (Daily Mail)
  What teenage girls really get up to on the internet should chill every parent. Like a real porn star, Becky is heavily made up and lying naked on the bed as the camera flashes. She could be just another glamorous model as she poses provocatively with practised moves. But she isn't. Shockingly, Becky is just 17 and still at school. She's filming herself in a friend's bedroom in a large, detached house in leafy suburbia as her schoolfriends party downstairs. Becky has not been coerced into this degrading behaviour. She is posing on her own, taking photographs of herself not for profit - but for attention. Welcome to the deeply alarming new world of privileged British teenagers who have a growing obsession with pornography. I discovered this trend - one which will horrify parents everywhere - during a BBC Radio 4 investigation into online pornography.

• UK - Protection of children - New Legislation for Websites (Laurence Kaye Solicitors)
  From October this year, if you operate a website which has interactive features used by children, you will be required to vet new staff you employ to act as moderators on the website. This means that their names must be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA), a public body which has been set up to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.

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