New measures to block underage access to porn

자료사진

The government yesterday announced a set of measures aimed at blocking underage youths from accessing pornography online, including tougher registration steps.

The new measures were drawn up in response to the recent rapid rise in children’s use of smartphones and other IT devices, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said in a joint press release with other government agencies.

Under the plan, Web hard-drive companies will be required to install anti-pornography software on their Web sites prior to registering their businesses, the government said.

Smartphone makers and mobile phone operators will also be instructed to develop anti-pornography software that parents will be encouraged to install. Schools will be instructed to inform parents of similar software that can be installed on computers at home, the government said.

Subscribers to pay TV services will be able to receive text messages when they pay to view pornography, preventing children from trying to access the material, the government said.

It also said the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute is developing new technology that blocks pornographic material based on detections of skin color, body parts and sounds in downloaded videos.

Starting in May, the government will work with the police to crack down on online pornography, according to the press release.

Last year, nearly 55 percent of male students in middle and high school said they watched porn online, while 12.3 percent of teenagers viewed such material on their mobile phones, up from 7.5 percent in 2010, according to data from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Yonhap