“The heart of children is sacred”, declared Archbishop JEAN-CHARLES DESCUBES of Rouen, chairman of the episcopal Council for the Family, in commenting on a study published in France on the protection of minors on the Internet. The study reveals that out of 10 million parents with at least one child aged between 6 and 15, 85% consider that surfing on the net may be dangerous. So 71% prohibit the access of children to the web. But families are aware that this does not solve the root of the problem. “Internet commented Archbishop Descubes is a useful tool” because it favours the meeting with new people, the sharing of hobbies and the exchange of ideas. “At the same time, however, we cannot ignore some dysfunctions” or fail to denounce “financial abuses and fraud” on the internet. “One population is particularly exposed to this risk: children and adolescents”. “The recommendations of parents continued the archbishop are not enough to protect children and adolescents. Parents’ conditions of life and work do not permit them always to be at the side of their children”. It is therefore indispensable that the “public authorities take the decision to systematically control the sites to which children have access”. French Prime Minister Villepin also intervened on the question in his speech to the Conference on the Family on 22 September (see above). The prime minister commented on a report according to which 90% of youth surf the net on their family pc. More than half use chat links although the issues treated are not suitable for children. The concern expressed by the report is that juveniles may involuntarily gain access to disturbing, at times even traumatic, contents; they may even find themselves propositioned by a physical meeting through chat. Given these concerns, it has been decided to create a working group of professionals with the task of developing a kind of “seal of approval” to be applied to all suppliers of telematic services. The initiative ought to prompt suppliers to equip themselves with the necessary means of protection, such as information to the public, filters to protect children and structures for cooperation with the police.
