Small contributions make big changes

Interesting news from Venezuela this week: The Supreme Court has instituted a ban on pornographic and other sexual content in the nation's media.

The court ordered "the elimination of all images of explicit or implicit sexual content in advertisements in print media of open access to girls, boys and teens."  This also applies to ads which promote services "linked to the exploitation of sex," such as phone sex lines placed in general access media, newspapers, and hoardings.

This ruling came in a case filed by a citizen "representing his underage children" who wanted to end "pornographic ads in newspapers and magazines for the general public" because exposure to such material encouraged the sexualisation of children.

The Court also called on Venezuela's Telecommunications Commission to monitor the content of songs of all music genres to make sure they are "acceptable for all users," and that if necessary songs with questionable lyrics are reserved for hours when children will not be likely to be exposed to them. 

The ruling reiterated the Venezuelan Constitution's provision for freedom of expression, but affirmed that respecting the rights of children is one of the "intrinsic limits of freedom of expression" and that the media must use its right to free expression in a way that contributes to the culture and the developmental rights of the general population as established by the Venezuelan Constitution.

Regardless of the wider political issues in Venezuela, this ruling will have a positive impact on children growing up there and it has come about because one father decided to act.  It’s an illustration of how the actions of individuals can be the catalyst for big changes.   We recently learned that in the UK the Co-op will now be displaying the Sun newspaper on the top shelf of its stores for as long as the paper continues to print soft-porn on page 3.  This is as a result of lots of individual Co-op members in the regions voting for responsible displays.

Small contributions can make big changes or, in the words of one supermarket, ‘every little helps’.  Thank you for making a difference!

Why the Watershed still matters

Last weekend the National Association of Head Teachers warned that children are still being exposed to harmful material on television before 9pm.  Ofcom says that protecting children is of ‘fundamental concern’ and, since 2003, it has taken action against broadcasters more than 300 times for breaching watershed rules.  However a failure to regulate robustly in the past has created the situation in which a routine featuring dancers in ‘nude’ outfits is considered suitable fare for 7.15pm transmission, as happened in last Saturday’s edition of Britain’s Got Talent.

Is it any wonder that when the National Association of Head Teachers polled parents on the watershed 96% of them said they thought the rules are being broken.

I am often called upon to talk about the watershed I’m usually asked whether, in this age of television on demand, it is any longer relevant.

It is certainly true that regulation has failed to keep pace with innovation but this does not mean that the watershed has no value; indeed a recent Sunday Times poll found an overwhelming 85% of people supported the concept.  The latest figures show that 10% of television viewing is now ‘time-shifted’ rather than live.  This is expected to continue to grow as the range of devices and high speed broadband proliferates.

However this does not mean that we have to give up on the watershed.  It is a very useful tool and we need to look at ways to make it relevant to twenty first century living.  Some providers such as the BBC iplayer and Channel 4’s 4OD offer parental locks and pincodes but as the former are rarely promoted and the later require little more that a tick in a box confirming age so they offer little protection and wider action is required.

We first took this issue up with Ofcom and the on-demand regulator, ATVOD, four years ago with little success.  We have continued to raise it with the regulators and the government and, as time-shifted viewing has become increasingly popular, we are beginning to see progress.

Tony Close of Ofcom said: “We recognise the growth of on-demand viewing poses new challenges.  We are working with the government to ensure that children remain protected.” 

The DCMS said: “More needs to be done to ensure safety measures and tools that prevent children watching post-watershed programmes, such as as locks and PIN protection are more widely used.  We will keep progress under close review and if necessary consider the case for legislation to ensure that audiences are protected to the level they choose.”

I was delighted to be asked to put our case on BBC Breakfast news recently and you can watch a clip here.

Following the success of our parliamentary conference in which under-30s outlined their concerns about the effects of pornography on their generation our speakers have been much in demand.  One of them put her case across forcefully on BBC 3’s live current affairs debate show Free Speech and another was interviewed on this week’s Grazia magazine about how his use of pornography effected his attitude towards women.  Another of our speakers bravely agreed to talk to the Daily Mail about her addiction to pornography and you can read her story here.

Vivienne Pattison

Director

The Pornification of a Generation

 The conference was addressed by seven under 30s.  These included a psychotherapist, an educator and a youth worker who gave their professional opinions on the impact of pornography on young people with whom they work.  Also speaking were two young men and one young woman who spoke with searing honesty about their own addiction to pornography and the effect this has had on their lives and relationships.  The programme also included contributions from three MPs and clip from Baroness Kidron’s excellent film on young people’s internet use, InRealLlife.

When dealing with pornography and its effects it is hard to offer a visual aid (within reason!) to illustrate the problem; something that would speak as powerfully as the models of slave ships and the manacles that Wilberforce used so effectively in the fight to abolish the slave trade.  The humble and powerful stories we heard last week are our most potent weapon; young men and women casting off the constraints of embarrassment and fear to sound the alarm for the sake of their generation and the next.

On the day of the conference The Times published a letter signed by all the speakers.  Their unequivocal message: pornography is doing great harm to our young people and the Government and society must do far more to protect them and the generations to come.  You can read the text below.

An audio recording was made on the day and hopefully it will be possible to share it with you in due course.  However, you may find a documentary which shown last week on BBC 3 of interest. 

Porn: What’s the Harm presented a snapshot of young people’s experiences based on a survey of 1,000 16- to 24-year-olds.  The programme featured interviews with young people and those who work with them and was full of worrying statistics.  Two facts stood out: firstly pinpointing 2002, when the internet became available in most households, as the time when porn use amongst young people became widespread; and secondly the worrying rise in teenagers’ requests for genital cosmetic surgery.  There was also a look at sexting as experienced by 20-year-old Sophia, who spoke frankly about how easy it is to get drawn into it.

This programme is the second to be broadcast in the last year which seriously examines the negative impacts of pornography on young people; a clear sign that this is an issue which society cannot continue to ignore.  The programme is not an easy watch but if you would like to see it, it will be available on the BBC’s iPlayer until 21^st April.

Letter published in the Times 7^th April 2014

Sirs,

We the undersigned, all under the age of 30, share a deep concern about our generation’s unprecedented consumption of internet pornography. There is currently an epidemic of unregulated online pornography, our generation is largely unprotected, and some are compulsive users of this free supply of hardcore material.

We have grown up surrounded by internet-enabled technology which enables everyone to be fully connected but also makes the most extreme material imaginable instantly available to even the youngest children.

Research and our collective experience show that pornography is taking a very real toll on the mental, emotional and physical health of many of our peers and poses a serious challenge to public health in the UK. It is very far from being the harmless and victimless activity portrayed by the increasingly powerful pornography industry.

Much has been done to educate the public about smoking, alcohol and drugs but the same is not true of pornography. It is warping young people’s views of sex and body image and impeding the formation of healthy relationships.

We urge the Government to:

1. ensure that the major ISPs complete the introduction of network-level filtering* by  the end of this year and encourage all remaining ISPs to do the same
2. introduce legislation if self-regulation does not work
3. make effective age verification** a priority
4. launch a public health campaign to highlight the harmful and potentially addictive nature of pornography
5. give parents encouragement and help with setting internet filters and talking to their children about the dangers of online porn

Jonny Adams, Chioma Ahunanya, Bethany Becconsall, Kate Massey-Chase, Sarah Percival, Aston Stockdale, Maktuno Suit

 

Footnotes

* plans for opt-in filters that were announced by David Cameron in July 2013

** in line with Baroness Howe’s Online Safety Bill

Action to protect children online

Last Friday ATVOD, the regulator of television-on-demand, published the results of its research into children’s access to online pornography.

Using a similar methodology to that used to estimate TV viewing habits, the study found that last December 6% of children aged 15 or under had accessed an adult website. If scaled up nationally, the research suggests that 44,000 primary school children had accessed pornographic material – and 200,000 under-16s. One site, Pornhub, was visited by 112,000 boys in the UK aged between 12 and 17.

ATVOD added that the survey probably underestimated the scale of the issue since smartphone and tablet use was not included in the figures. 

In recent years pornographers have taken inspiration from the likes of You-Tube and now offer hours of free content, making their revenue from advertising and encouraging users to ‘trade-up’ to premium paid for services.  This changed business model makes it easier for children to access explicit material.

ATVOD presently forces pornographic websites based in the UK to carry out age verification checks before customers can view explicit content; this is done by requiring credit card details or personal information which can be cross-reference with the electoral roll or other ID database.  However the vast majority of online porn is hosted overseas and beyond the reach of UK regulator.

To tackle this ATVOD wants all adult sites to request a licence that would only be granted if age checks were in place with banks and other payment processors not allowed to handle fees for services from UK citizens to unregulated sites.  Payment firms say they will act if shown that sites are breaking the law and the regulator accepts that this means new legislation.

ATVOD’s chief executive explained: “We’re a very substantial market and to access the money that’s flowing from the UK would be quite a powerful incentive to introduce restrictions.”

He called on the government to act to protect children and said that the matter was so urgent it is ‘critical the legislation is enacted during this Parliament’.   The government has indicated that it needs time to consider the request.

This proposal has been criticised as ineffective and unworkable – not least by Jerry Barnett of the pro-porn Sex & Censorship group who previously ran an adult website and was fined for failing to prevent children accessing its content.

However, as ATVOD’s chief executive explained, “We’re not saying this will stop all children from seeing all pornography online.  But our argument is that even if you reduce the number of children who are accessing hardcore pornography online by 10% that would be a significant win.”  We can only concur with his analysis!

MPs call for more protection for children online

Last year Mediawatch was pleased to be able to provide written evidence to the Culture Media & Sport Select Committee into online safety.  On Wednesday the Committee published its report and called for stronger action to be taken to protect children from online bullying and pornography.

The Committee found that more needed to be done to protect children online particularly with regard to content that is legal but still harmful to children yet which is freely available to them.   

John Whittingdale MP, the Committee Chair said: “those who profit from the internet must demonstrate the utmost commitment to protecting children and should be prosecuted and penalised if they don't.”

The report said protections like those in place in the "real world", such as putting pornographic magazines on the top shelf of the newsagent and stopping children entering sex shops, had to be provided online and at the moment too little is being done in this regard.  MPs proposed that sites that are "particularly harmful" and “make no serious attempt to hinder access by children” should be blocked altogether.

The Committee said that adult sites could restrict access by children in a number of ways:

• a robust age verification process should be in place 
• requiring payment by a credit card linked to an adult;
• shielding the content behind a warning page; 
• attaching metadata to the website to make it easier for filters to operate and for search engines not to return the material when operating in a safe search mode.

Falling short of our recommendation for statutory backing for the current voluntary protections put in place by ISPs, the report said that Ofcom should do more in terms of monitoring internet content and advising the public on online safety.

The Committee had been particularly keen to look at ways of preventing abusive or threatening comments on social media.  Having heard the evidence the report criticised the age verification processes used by Twitter and Facebook, saying these were "at best flimsy" and led to younger children accessing their sites.

 

The recommendation was made that social media providers should offer a range of prominently displayed options for, and routes to, reporting harmful content and communications.  Much of the abuse and bullying that takes place online is covered by existing laws and some of the worst online bullies and trolls are being brought to book in the courts, but the report called for clarified and guidance to be updated for the online space.

Although it fell short of recommending statutory backing for the voluntary measures developed to protect children online, this report is to be welcomed.  The internet has revolutionised life for our children and it behoves us all to ensure that they can use it safely.

The wit and wisdom of Mary Whitehouse

Many members have been in touch about our Mary Whitehouse quote project which we are running during this, our anniversary year.

It’s ironic that much of what we know about her views has come to us filtered by the media itself so, since 1^st January we have been tweeting a quote from her writing every other day.  We have also updated a dedicated Facebook page and website.

It’s been fascinating to hear Mary in her own words and I thought that, if you’ve not been following the initiative, you would be interested to see some of the material posted so far.

• “If society accepts the free distribution and display of pornography then inevitably it will fall into the hands of children.” 1967

• “We have created a candy-floss society in which the young can find little of hard substance on which to cut teeth of conviction.” 1967

•  “The creative growth of a society, and its stability, depend on the willingness of the individual to accept responsibility for his behaviour.” 1971

•  “The new libertarians are, in fact, the new tyrants.  They launch an assault upon the senses and freedom of the individual which is the essence of the worst kind of dictatorship.” 1971

•  “A simple choice: between genuine freedom and total licence, between cultural responsibility and cultural anarchy.” 1982

•  “No other age has exploited violent crime, as ours does, by constantly exploiting it as entertainment.” 1985

•  “Because it is such a powerful and all-pervasive medium, TV is bound to play a key role in creating the quality of life we all experience.” 1985

•  “We trivialise the argument about what is and what is not acceptable in public and private attitudes and behaviour if we reduce the issue to personal taste.” 1993

•  “Broadcasters should not take their decisions in a social vacuum.” 1993

•  “Today our society ruthlessly exploits the minds and emotions of young people for financial and political capital.” 1993

•  “We shall raise a generation which either grasps at sex as a physical lust or treats it simply as a passing fancy, no more.” 1993

If you are a Facebook user please like the page and invite your contacts to like it too and if you are a tweeter please re-tweet us.  We hope to get as many people engaged and following this as possible.  This initiative will continue throughout 2014 and we plan to use it as a basis for a major media initiative later in the year.  

Website: www.marywhitehouse.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrsmarywhitehouse

Twitter: www.twitter.com/MrsMWhitehouse @mrsmwhitehouse

If you have not already done so please do consider contacting your MP about the Pornification of a Generation Conference which is taking place in Parliament.  You can do this simply and easily using our campaign website www.safeonline.org.uk.  Thank you to all those who have already taken the time to do this; as a result of your emails several MPs have been in touch for further details having overlooked their invitations first time around.

The Pornification of a Generation

Those under 30 make up almost one fifth of the population yet, despite their childhood and teenage years being only recently behind them, their voices are often unheard in debates about pornography and our culture.

These young people have a unique insight into the challenges presented by a society in which technology enables everyone to be fully connected, but also makes the most extreme material imaginable instantly available at their fingertips.

We are delighted to be working with a number of like minded organisations to give this under-represented group a voice.  Together we have organised a unique event to take place in Parliament on 7^th April which will connect young people with legislators and other opinion formers to discuss the impact of pornography on their generation.

The Pornification of a Generation – the Under 30s Perspective will be chaired by Rachel Gardener, the President of the Girl’s Brigade and all the speakers will be under 30, with the youngest being just 17.  They will share their experiences, concerns and insights on the reality of growing up exposed to, arguably, more explicit imagery than any previous generation in history.

The speakers come from all walks of life and include a psychotherapist, an educator and youth worker who will be giving their professional views and we also have some very brave individuals talking about how they became addicted to pornography and the effect it has had on them.

Not only will this be a chance for politicians to hear authentic voices from the sharp end, we also aim to empower a rising generation to continue the fight.

All 650 MPs have been invited to attend and we hope that they will take up this unique opportunity.  If you think your MP should be there please contact them and encourage them to attend using our campaign website Safeonline.org.uk which has been updated for this event.