MEP warns end of roaming charges could threaten online child safety

East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin has highlighted the hidden cost of ending mobile roaming and how it disarms parents online, potentially posing a threat to online child safety.

Today the European Parliament voted on a package to end roaming charges, improving the portability of telecommunications in Europe. However, in this package were measures to heighten and preserve ‘net neutrality’, a term that has the aim of ensuring internet service providers enable access to all content and applications – regardless of the source and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites. This endeavour puts itself in direct conflict with the aim of parental controls.

Ms McClarkin said:

“Whilst I, like other consumers, welcome the ending of mobile roaming, what is less well known is that as part of this regulation there also comes new limitations on the use of parental controls online.”

Under this legislation the blocking of lawful sites or services justified by parental discretion is prohibited. Unless the UK can bring in parental controls into National legislation before the end of 2016, the use of such mechanisms will be classed as breaking EU law.

Ms McClarkin added:

“We must enable families and parents to monitor and safeguard their children from dangers online. Parents should retain the right to choose what appropriate content is through parental controls. We must not cast parents as the threat, but rather embrace these tools as a potential solution to online dangers. This is a reasonable and flexible security mechanism.

“Once again we see individuals in the European Parliament cheering a cause on, with a complete disregard for the practical application of it.”

Parental controls come in various forms in the UK, from self-installed software to automatic mobile network control filters. UK parents utilise these controls the most in Europe, with 54% of UK parents operating such mechanisms. They are tools which can be easily switched on and off, but provide great security for parents.

Ms McClarkin finished by saying:

“I am keen to see the UK government act in this area, to put the necessary legislation in place before the end of 2016 to allow for parental controls to remain. That is why I wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this year to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.

“His response and support fills me with confidence that we will achieve this by 2016 to avoid any conflict with EU legislation. However, it is just disappointing that the EU has once again overreached and put itself at odds with a tool that parents desperately need in today’s digital world to protect their children online.”