TalkTalk to offer active choice on parental controls
TalkTalk is set to become the first UK broadband provider to offer customers an "active choice" regarding whether they want parental controls on their account.
From the end of February, all new subscribers will be asked to decide upfront if they want to activate HomeSafe, the internet service provider's network-level online safety suite.
HomeSafe allows parents to restrict access to a wide array of online content, including violence, gambling and pornography, and has so far been activated by more than 270,000 TalkTalk customers. Suicide and self-harm websites are those that are blocked most often by HomeSafe users.
Offering an active choice on parental controls was one of the recommendations included in the government's Bailey Review, which also called for age restrictions to be placed on music videos and sexualised images on the front pages of magazines and newspapers to be covered up.
TalkTalk's move has been backed by Children's Minister Tim Loughton, who said: "It will make it easier for their customers to protect their children from harmful or inappropriate online content from whichever device is used in the home, be it a laptop, games console or internet-enabled TV."
