A study suggests recording the age of children who buy a mobile phone

Two days ago a study was recently developed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, which proposes record the age of minors who buy a mobile phone. The researchers responsible for the report propose that mobile phone operators request the year of birth of underage users, so you can check the age when they access multimedia services.

Given the impossibility of having a real knowledge of the user's age when the user requests a certain service through the network, the proposed measure would avoid 'falsifications' since it's the parents who buy the device.

Do you think it is necessary to know the age of children to adapt the content to offer?

We all know that if the boy or girl wants to access a service that asks for their age, and it is necessary to be older to be authorized, it is easy to falsify the data. And on the other hand I attest (taking into account the multiple conversations with parents of children of all ages) that on more than one occasion, there are children who visualize content that many of us would make us blush. The same goes for the applications to play: not all are suitable for all ages.

A large part of the companies operating in our country have signed a self-regulation code of the AESAM, which links them to support responsible access to the contents, although UPV researchers consider it insufficient (it is a specific issue considering the ages of minors).

Block inappropriate sites and overcome our shortcomings

The study we are talking about has been published by the magazine Quality & Quantity, with María de Miguel being the coordinator of the research team: a group of experts that proposes to block unfit content, for which there should be regulations to be adopted by the operators.

The work was carried out through surveys that had been sent to government agencies, child protection associations, and telephone companies. But at the same time the Spanish government has been asked to train families, and raise awareness about the proper use of the mobile phone

If someone has not yet noticed, children not only access the network through the home laptop or in the Library, however, the use of smartphones implies that or families care about informing and protecting children (through communication or physical measurements), or we totally lose control of how they use the device.

The UPV team also appeals to social networks on the Internet, since (and although) there are illegalities in accessing them (do you know the number of children under 14 who move on Tuenti or Facebook? ), they are the ones who have the power to - for example - close profiles by default, or educate small spaces, so that they learn to move safely.

An age rating for mobile phone content?

The experts recommend the same as in video games (3, 7, 12, 16 and over 18 years old). It also recommends studying the possibility that minors cannot access certain content (photographs, videos, purchases, contests, certain social networks). Operators are invited to implement other management systems other than parental control, which can be complicated on mobile devices.

Has the safety of children in the use of the Internet improved?

Three years ago, the team coordinated by de Miguel, already stated that 'the current technological means are not enough to protect minors'. The fact of the European Union's drive towards self-regulation does not mean that these services are risk free.

Everyone points to parents as responsible for protection, and yet we must also understand that mobile services companies also have (and much) responsibility in the subject.

Video: Should mobile phones be banned in schools? (March 2024).