TalkTalk finds 78% of parents against default filtering

Less than a quarter of parents are in favour of default online content filtering, a new study has found.

Only one-fifth of UK parents believe default filtering of harmful content is the best system for protecting youngsters online, according to TalkTalk.

YouGov, working on behalf of the internet service provider (ISP), found 78 per cent of adults with children in their household are opposed to this solution, which would automatically block material such as pornography.

Instead, 37 per cent of respondents favour giving broadband customers an active choice, in which they are asked when they sign up for an account whether or not they want content to be filtered.

A further 30 per cent insisted the internet should only be filtered if they ask for it.

In March, TalkTalk became the only UK ISP to introduce an 'active choice' system for broadband subscribers.

Known as HomeSafe, the network-level parental controls allow customers to choose the type of content their kids can view while browsing the web.

So far, the system has been activated by about one in three new customers - roughly equivalent to the number of households with dependent children.

Dido Harding, chief executive of TalkTalk, said: "We believe that giving customers an active choice about using controls like HomeSafe is the most effective way to engage them in internet safety."