Website age ratings suggested by government

With the news that Culture Secretary Andy Burnham has called for content controls for offensive online content, the issue of applying film-style classification logos has arisen.He told the BBC: “The internet is becoming a more and more pervasive entity in all our lives and yet the content standards online are not as clear as we’ve all been used in traditional media.”I think we do need to have a debate now about clearer signposting and labelling online because it can be quite a confusing world, particularly for parents who are trying to ensure their children are only accessing appropriate stuff.”Many commercial sites designed to promote products that are rated, such as alchohol, films and videogames, already use age verification systems to protect users. However, these are rarely more sophisticated than a selection form for submitting date of birth and therefore do little to safeguard anyone from potentially dangerous material. Let’s face it, if someone intends to distribute hardcore content then they won’t be bothered about checking your age before revealing it.What the government forget, however, is that without the threat of legislation for those who ignore such website classication schemes, they will never achieve a legitimate level of use. Who will police it and ultimately who makes the call on how content is classified? Will all new websites need to be approved and rated before going live?We’re sceptical that anyone in government truly understands how the internet works… What are your thoughts?