Almost three-quarters of 12 to 13-year-olds own a mobile phone,
according to the Commission, which launched the public consultation
yesterday as part of its Safer Internet Forum for child
welfare.
"The growth in mobile use clearly helps people link up in an
information society," said a Commission statement. "But it also
gives rise to concerns about the safety of children."
The dangers to which children can be exposed include: grooming,
whereby sexual predators make friends via phones with children;
privacy violation; and unexpectedly high expense from phone use.
Modern mobile internet access technologies can also expose children
to harmful and illegal internet content, said the Commission.
“Mobile phones are part of our daily lives, not only for adults
but also for teenagers and increasingly for younger children," said
Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media.
"Mobile communication is a great opportunity for the development of
Europe’s economies and societies. However, at the same time, the
protection of minors needs to be guaranteed."
Another danger of mobiles, said the Commission, is that of
bullying through the distribution of abusive or compromising
messages and photos amongst children. The UK government has just
announced an expansion of school guidelines to cover
cyber-bullying, including the use of mobile phones to bully
children.
"Unlike other forms of bullying, cyber bullying can follow
children and young people into their private spaces and outside
school hours," said schools minister Jim Knight. "This is why it is
essential that parents and young people themselves should
understand how to use technologies safely to protect themselves at
home and outside school hours, as well as supporting their schools
in dealing with incidents."
"The education bill will give teachers a legal right to
discipline pupils, strengthening their authority to take firm
action on bullying. It will also send a strong message to parents
and pupils that bullying will not be tolerated with court-imposed
parenting orders to compel parents of bullies to attend parenting
classes or face £1,000 fines."
The Commission found that in May of this year 70% of European
children aged 12 to 13 had mobile phones, while 23% of children
aged 8 to 9 owned mobiles.
The Commission will investigate what regulatory action is needed
to protect children in a move which will be closely watched by
network operators. "The more efficient self-regulation can become,
the less the need for state intervention," said Reding.
The consultation does not explore the health risks of mobile
usage. In January 2005, the UK's National Radiological Protection
Board published a report suggesting that children would be
especially vulnerable to any health risks that may exist in mobile
phone use because their nervous systems are still developing. In
January 2006, a study published in the British Medical Journal cast
doubt on concerns that mobile phone use increases the risk of brain
tumours.
