ASACP Joins ATVOD for 'Adults Only' Policy Conference

LONDON— The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) has announced that its Director of European Outreach, Vince Charlton, is participating in a session hosted by ATVOD and the CCLS tomorrow.  

The event, entitled “For Adults Only? — protecting children from online porn,” is presented by U.K. media regulator ATVOD and the University of London’s Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) and will take place from 4-7 p.m. at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London.

Chaired by Channel 4 News social editor Jackie Long, with Britain’s Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Ed Vaizey MP, delivering the keynote address, the conference will examine the various policy issues surrounding online child protection.

ATVOD is the independent co-regulator for the editorial content of U.K. video-on-demand services that fall under the new statutory definition of On Demand Programme Services. ATVOD has taken action against adult-oriented websites that allow minors to access age-restricted materials and has been instrumental in efforts such as Britain’s new opt-in porn regimen and the banning of debit cards as a payment mechanism for online adult entertainment.

The conference features two sessions: the first explores the problems implicit in online child protection, including children’s ease of access to age-restricted materials, the scale of the problem and the resulting consequences for youth. The second session will delve into the possible solutions, including media education and parental control software, to see if these are adequate responses and what else could be done (and by whom) to address the situation.

ASACP said the latter session will benefit from Charlton’s expertise with the ASACP-backed Restricted To Adults (RTA) meta-labeling system, which helps prevent minors from accessing age-restricted websites and mobile applications.

“RTA labeling on the part of adult websites coupled with responsibility on the part of parents, is an effective, free and proven means of protecting children from inadvertently accessing age-restricted materials online, or via mobile apps,” Charlton said. “Through education and action, parents can become more effective at protecting their kids without having to rely on overreaching governmental regulation or opt-in legislation that restricts the rights of adults.”

“ASACP’s sponsors within the adult entertainment industry have demonstrated a willingness to perform their part by keeping children out of, and away, from online adult entertainment,” Charlton added. “By adopting ASACP’s standardized Code of Ethics, along with its market-specific best practices, these companies set an example that is worthy of being followed.”