Websites may get movie-style age ratings

Britain's Minister of Culture, Andy Burham, has expressed hope that Internet content can be regulated with age ratings similar to those used to categorize films. He is hoping to reach out to the Obama government so that the two countries can collaborate on defining new rules for categorizing Internet content.

Burham thinks such steps are becoming necessary given the unconstrained growth of Internet content and the ease with which children of all ages can access it. Given that it would be impossible for one country on its own can draft rules acceptable to all, he is hoping a collaboration with the United States will give the move the required credibility. If the system is successful, it could allow parents to get internet services providers to block inappropriate content upon demand.

Attempts to regulate the Internet in the past have focused on considerations of offering paid tiers of speed given the intractability of regulating the content itself. It is not yet clear how practical such a system would be. There should be little dispute over categorizing pornographic content, but there are other fuzzy areas such as sites promoting violence and racism that may be harder to deal with. In any case, expect an outcry over freedom of speech issues if this does eventually go ahead. And it's not like kids don't find ways to circumvent all the barriers we surround them with.