Publications > Other publications
Good practice guidance for the moderation of interactive services for children
This guidance has been produced in response to public concern about the safety of children using interactive communication services, such as the internet. While these services offer huge opportunities for children to communicate and learn, experience has shown that there are some individuals who will use them to contact children in order to 'groom' and abuse them. It is, therefore, important to consider child safety issues when providing these types of services. There are a number of tools and processes that can be implemented to address child safety concerns, one of which is moderation.
Title: Good practice guidance for the moderation of interactive services for children
Authors: Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet
Number of pages: 36
Date published: November 2005
Availability:
Download full report
PDF 302Kb
Moderation allows a person, or technical filter, to review content posted by users. This document gives a framework to help providers of 'virtual public space' offer a safer environment for children.
The guidance applies to public electronic interactive communication services through which individuals can make contact and exchange personal information with other users in a virtual public 'space' such as, but not limited to:
internet chat rooms
message boards
mobile chat services
TV 'text to screen' services
on-line games with chat or messaging facilities
mobile games with chat facilities.
Purpose of the guidance
The purpose of the guidance is:
to describe the types of moderation that can be used
to inform organisations of all the issues they should take into account when assessing the need for moderation of interactive services
to inform organisations of the issues they should take into account in the recruitment, training and supervision of moderators.
Basic requirements
If you or your organisation are providing, or intend to provide, a public, interactive communication service that is aimed at or likely to attract children, you should
assess the potential risk to children, establish if it would be appropriate to use moderation and, if so, decide the form of moderation to use
if using human moderation, assess the risk that a child abuser may apply for a position and develop policies for the safer recruitment, training, management and supervision of moderators to safeguard against this
make clear to users whether the interactive service is moderated, and if so, by what means, either human or technical moderation.
The guidance
Provides information and recommendations for the moderation of public interactive communication services aimed or very likely to attract children in the following areas:
information and advice to users
risk assessment
recruitment
training
data security
management and supervision
escalation procedures
Gives examples of methods and patterns of behaviour ('grooming') used by child abusers to gain access to children via interactive communication services.
Considers the relative merits of technical vs. human moderation and concludes that technical moderation has not yet demonstrated the same level of protection as human moderation.
Provides information about relevant legislation.
About Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet
The Task Force on Child Protection on the internet was established in 2001 and brings together representatives of the internet industry, mobile phone companies, law enforcement, the children’s charities and others, who work together to make the internet a safer place for children, without diminishing their enjoyment of the exciting opportunities which it offers. Building on this partnership, the Task Force has run several successful education and awareness campaigns. It also assisted the Government in preparing a new offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, which was introduced in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This has helped to tackle public concerns about misuse of the internet by paedophiles. Also in 2003, the Task Force published models of good practice and guidance for the internet industry to consider when providing chat services, instant messaging and web based services, and is working on a kitemark standard for rating, filtering and monitoring software.
Getting a copy
Download Good practice guidance for the moderation of interactive services for
children PDF 302Kb
Last update: 23 May 2006