Britain's internet companies offer to block porn

BBC

LONDON, Oct 12: Four leading web providers are to offer customers the option to block adult content at the point of subscription. BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin will offer the protection for smartphones, laptops and PCs. It comes as David Cameron (pic) on Monday met industry representatives amid concern over sexualisation of children. The prime minister also launched Parentport - a website to help parents complain about inappropriate content.And he backed a ban on billboards displaying risque images near schools. Mr Cameron said there was a "growing tide of concern" amongst parents who were concerned about children being exposed to "inappropriate advertising and sexual imagery". "I welcome the progress being made, including the Parentport website being launched today that will give parents a strong voice and a single hub to air their concerns about inappropriate products, adverts or services. "But we must do more, so today I call on businesses and industry to go further and in the new year I will again review progress because I am determined we are really making changes that support parents and protect our children," he said. "There's no doubt that the sort of pressures - what you see on television programmes and advertising hoardings and sort of a mixture of pester power problems but also just the sense that our children are being forced to grow up too quickly," he said. "We don't want to see always the answer as a regulatory legislative answer - so what can we do showing some social responsibility." The new measures, aimed at helping parents protect their children from internet porn and other explicit sites, follow a report earlier this year by the Mothers' Union Christian charity known as the Bailey Report. The four ISPs said in a statement that they: "have worked closely with government and a range of stakeholders to swiftly introduce measures addressing recommendations set out in the Bailey Report."