3G 'child porn' claims scare operators into action

It seems that a recent report by children's charity NCH, which implicated the internet in a huge rise in child porn and pointed the finger at 3G as the next big danger to kids, has spurred the mobile industry into action.

All of the UK's major mobile names, including Vodafone, Orange, Virgin, O2 and T-Mobile, as well as the only company to currently operate a third-generation service in the UK, Hutchison Whampoa's 3, have signed up to the new regulations, which are designed to protect children.

Children under 18 will be unable to use third-generation phones with unlimited access, effectively barring them from entering adult-orientated sites, including porn or gambling sites as well as chatrooms. The handsets will come with filters, which to have removed the buyer will have to prove they're 18 or over.

The report's author, who is also NCH's internet advisor, John Carr, told silicon.com that he feared that the nature of mobile internet would make it easier for children to access the web without supervision by parents or teachers, and could lead children to be unwittingly groomed by paedophiles.

The new code of practice will come into force later this year.