Michael Freilich: “We must protect young children better online”

The shocking murder of a 15-year-old girl after she came into contact with a stranger through Snapchat confronts us with the dangers the Internet poses to young people and children. Another aspect that causes concern is the kind of content that mainly reaches young children from the moment they take their first steps online. MP Michael Freilich wants to do something about this with a parliamentary resolution. “We need to protect young children better from inappropriate online content,” explains Freilich, “We need to give parents the option to block violent and pornographic content easily.”

It hardly needs to be said that the new digital generation also has much faster access to the internet. Today, young children are often already given a smartphone at around the age of eight, according to Child Focus. All of this is at a time when children are still very vulnerable to influences. With a few clicks, they can access even the most violent or sexual content. This can be very destabilising, according to several child psychologists.

Finding the right control tools

Parents are aware of this, and there are control apps, yet it is not easy to find or install the right tools even for them. The various monitoring options are fragmented; parents sometimes do not know how to set this up or where to find these functionalities.

Mandatory monitoring systems

This resolution aims to provide a solution to this. “We therefore request that our internet service providers be obliged to provide parental control systems,” explains MP Freilich. This must enable parents to block 18+ content at the click of a button if they wish to do so. “We also want to impose the same obligation on manufacturers of devices that can access the internet, as is the case in France.” According to Freilich, this would make it easier for parents to protect their children from content they find inappropriate.

Digital platform for parents and educators

In addition, the resolution also envisages a general digital platform where parents and educators can go for information about inappropriate online content, the dangers of the internet and how to communicate with their child about it. Here, too, we look to France, where the government is the driving force behind the “Je Protège Mon Enfant” (I am protecting my child) initiative.

Adequate protection of children

Good, open and positive communication between parent and child remains important. “Parents are naturally free to use this system or not as well, but in this way, every parent can be given the opportunity to protect their child adequately, regardless of their technical knowledge or background,” Michael Freilich concludes.