Brown widens review of impact media violence has on children

by Patrick Wintour

The impact of media violence on children will be the focus of a wider than expected government review being launched today. It may lead to new voluntary controls over excessive violence and sex on children's television and the internet and in video games.

Gordon Brown stressed that he did not see the review leading to state censorship, but hoped it would lead to a common agreement between parents, programme makers and internet providers that new controls are necessary.

Mr Brown is entering the highly charged debate on lost childhood - an issue of being examined by the shadow higher education secretary, David Willetts. The protection of children on TV was first highlighted by Bill Clinton, and proved to be unexpectedly popular for the Democrats.

Speaking at his monthly press conference in Downing Street, Mr Brown said parents were right to expect the government to do everything in its power to protect children from harmful material in a multimedia age. The review is to be conducted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mr Brown said: "The sources of information for children from a very young age now are the internet, television, commercial advertising.

That is a good thing in so many different ways, but where there is pornographic or violent material, any parent is going to be concerned."

In the past the sources of authority for children had been schools or parents. The aim of the review was to protect children from some of the malign influences in the media, he said. He added that he had concerns about the routine violence on children's television, saying he wanted to see a better-policed watershed hour and a review of advertising before the watershed.

He stressed: "This is not the government telling people what they should do ... this is society reaching a conclusion with all those people involved about what are the legitimate boundaries."

He added: "I think we have got to look at this as a society. I hope this is one of the areas where there can be common ground between all parties. I think you need to review this with a large number of representative groups, from parents, from the different industries itself and from other areas of public life.

"This is not an area where you can proceed in my view without trying to establish both what the boundaries are and what is the consensus you can build around these boundaries."

"I am not interested in censorship at all, but I think we do need rules governing some aspects of the internet and videos where children are involved." He said he expected the media to be fully willing to be involved in the review.

At the press conference, his second as PM, he ruled out holding a US-style general election debate, arguing that unlike the US, Britain has regular leadership debates in the Commons at prime minister's questions.

The Tories accused him of "running away." Mr Brown once again failed to rule out a snap poll this autumn, but stressed he was getting on with the business of governing.

"There is a time and a place to discuss elections. This is not the time", he said. He also rejected claims that there is a split between UK and US policy on Iraq, saying both are on the "same path".

British troops withdrew from Basra Palace this week but he admitted greater reconciliation was needed between the Iraqi factions.

Mr Brown stressed that all British troop reductions were discussed with the US and Iraqis in advance, and it had always been expected that different provinces within Iraq be controlled by Iraqi security forces at different times.

The Guardian ,UK