Comment

The contentious issue of child protection on the internet has once again been brought to the forefront of the digital industry following Gordon Brown's recent announcement of a government review into child safety online.

As a global website that offers a safer online environment for kids to express themselves, Piczo has always believed that the internet industry must engage fully with the Government on the subject of online safety.

While it's not realistic to expect to fully eradicate...

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... any harmful activity from the internet, we believe a responsible media business should allow kids to enjoy their own place online, but also keep them safe from the vast majority of potentially damaging content and behaviour.

Most observers on both sides of the debate accept that the internet and social media have proved a significant force for good, not least in the democratisation of content and the outlet for creativity and community that are at the heart of the growth in this sector.

But it's a rapidly changing world and we encourage parents, carers and stakeholders to assess different online environments, to make their own minds up on what they deem acceptable.

There are hundreds of different stakeholders involved in online safety, and it has been an ongoing battle over the past few years to rally everyone together to assume responsibility.

In my opinion there are three key influencers that ensure kids are protected online. These are the parents, the content publishers and, most importantly, the kids.

Parents are becoming increasingly aware of the issues around online safety and are taking more measures to monitor and protect their children, which will undoubtedly have a positive effect. Content publishers are also rising to the challenge of the responsibility placed upon them, introducing more techniques to eliminate safety threats. In addition to our walled-garden approach and the absence of search on the site, Piczo has been working with Keibi Technologies to enable our safety team to moderate content more comprehensively than ever before.

While parents and content publishers are already heavily involved in the debate, kids are also pivotal to making a difference, yet are the group with the smallest voice. We pride ourselves on building and improving the site around our members' feedback. The same goes for safety online. It's no secret that kids are full of perseverance when being told what not to do - surely they will just find a way around any legislation imposed.

We're already actively engaged in shaping the future of the social media sector through dialogue with organisations like the Home Office, Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre and the NSPCC. But more than this, we're engaged with kids, whose opinions matter most, as it's this generation who will shape how the web evolves.

To address this problem, we want to give our members a voice. And with two-thirds of the UK's teens registered on Piczo, that's one big voice. To do this, we've created the world's largest teen insight group. As the debate heats up over the coming months, Piczo will be investigating what those on the front line really think, to bring their voices to the table.

Chris Seth is European MD of Piczo