The mobile Internet - access to the Internet using a cellphone - has raised concerns among parents of how to control their children's access to mobile content or services. The key problem with the mobile Internet is that a child can access adult content, chat or dating services with a cellphone.
Most parents would not allow their children unsupervised Internet access on a personal computer yet most cellphones used by children today are able to access the Internet.
Parental concern has been compounded by the growing popularity of MXit (http://www.go.co.za/2006/08/31/news/bmix1.html) among the youth of South Africa. MXit is an instant messaging application for mobile phones. By August 2006 it included a community of 1.6 million users, most of who are below the age of 18, who used its low-cost communication service.
MXit, however, isn't actually the problem. It simply made visible the issue of the parental control of cellphones. The problem is that most children have unsupervised access to the Internet on cellphones regardless of whether they have downloaded MXit's technology or not. If a cellphone is GPRS or 3G enabled then it can be used to access content on the World Wide Web.
This raises a burning question for the South African wireless industry. Where should parental control to the mobile Internet be put in place and should the responsibility lie with the network operators, mobile content providers, or with parents?
Among the three network operators in South Africa, only Vodacom has an adult content management system that allows cellphone users (both contract and subscribers) to block access to certain mobile adult content services and Web sites. The Vodacom parental control solution aims to protect children from exposure to adult content. Parents can limit their children's access to the mobile Internet by dialling the following command *111*123# from the cellphone they wish to block. This will ensure that all adult content is blocked. A user can unblock a cellphone by going to a Vodashop or Vodacom Service Provider and verify that they are old enough to receive age-restricted content.
Vodacom has put further measures in place. If a cellphone is not blocked, Vodacom only offers content on Vodacome4me and Vodafone Live! services that require a user to verify their age before mobile content can be accessed. In addition, prepaid users are by default barred from receiving adult content and required to opt-in to receive this mobile content.
At an industry association level, the Wireless Application Service Provider Association (http://www.waspa.org.za/WASPA) has developed mobile content guidelines that aim to ensure industry players comply with agreed rules for marketing and advertising mobile services using premium-rate SMS services - nevertheless, WASPA has little control over service providers that use non-premium-rated services to deliver mobile content.
According the WASPA code, mobile services aimed at children (that is a person younger than 18 years of age) should only be used with the consent of parents or guardians who pay the cellphone bill. In addition:
* Services aimed at children cannot provide content or communications that will cause harm, take advantage of a child's na"ivet'e or inexperience, invade their privacy, or push their service to ensure a child rings or uses a premium-rate service.
* The mobile content service is to limit its content to what would be seen by a parent as reasonable for a children's service and cannot promote adult themes or material in the marketing publication or media aimed at children.
* Dating and contact services are obliged to take steps to ensure that children are not using the service.
* Adult content providers are required to ensure a user confirms they are over the age of 18 before content can be delivered to their cellphone.
The WASPA code of conduct provides the principles that should guide how parents approach controlling access to the mobile Internet for children. If a parent feels that a service provider is not complying with the code, they have the right to lodge a complaint with WASPA. Complaints can be submitted via the WASPA Web site (www.waspa.org.za).
Parents are not alone in fostering an environment supportive of protecting children from the abuse of mobile content services. Yet, as the one usually paying the bill, parents should set boundaries on the use of cellphones by their children. Parents should stipulate what mobile services are accessed, be aware of who is being contacted by their child via SMS or a voice call, and set limits on accessing the mobile Internet. In my view, mobile dating services should not be accessed by children under the age of 18.
Parents should take the time to educate their children about responsible cellphone usage.
A recent study from the United Kingdom entitled Mobile Youth 2006 (http://www.mobilelife2006.co.uk/) which focuses on the cellphone habits of youth, has some useful tips for parents:
* Put rules in place for your child that determines when a cellphone can be used or when it should not be used.
* Agree what is an acceptable monthly cellphone bill and what your child's airtime limit is.
* Use SMS to contact rather than calling your child as this will ensure they won't feel embarrassed about replying to you in front of their friends.
* Don't break your child's trust by reading their SMSes without asking them first.
* Ask your child what mobile content they would like to access. Do they want to download ringtones, wallpaper, games or information services?
* Make your child aware of the risk of giving their personal details over the cellphone, especially their photograph, to someone they don't know or not know very well.
* Let your child know that they are not to answer a number they don't know.
* Inform you child that spam does not need a reply.
* Educate your child in responsible mobile Internet and general online habits and show them Web sites such as www.teenangels.org to empower them to make better choices when online.
Parents should take heed of these tips as they themselves are a key driver for cellphone adoption among children. A family usually has more than one cellphone as a result of parent's concern for their child's safety and the desire to be able to contact their child. Peer pressure is a further motivation for a child wanting a cellphone.
Cellphones have become part of our daily life and we need to let children understand that they are useful but can also be abused if used irresponsibly. In allowing children to appreciate what it means to communicate and access mobile content, I believe that parents will become more aware of what content and services are accessible via cellphones and will respond from an informed position when new youth-oriented mobile services are launched.
In my view, parental control of mobile Internet and cellphone use should complement the efforts made by industry to regulate mobile adult content and mobile content services to ensure the protection of children's rights.
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