MP Gordon Henderson wages war on internet porn

Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson

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Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson (Con) said unrestricted access to the web and a lack of parental responsibility had created an “everything is free” mentality among a minority of young people.

The grandfather-of-seven is one of more than 60 members of a cross-party group which this week announced the launch of a Parliamentary inquiry into online child protection.

He said: “There’s a risk of children being groomed by strangers on the internet but it’s a relatively low risk because most young people have the nouse to not get sucked in. The danger of the internet is more insidious than that.

“It’s the slow seeping of access to porn images that then slowly erodes the moral fibre of young people, which in turn adds to the social problems we currently face. Much of what we saw with the rioting and looting was due to a breakdown in morality among young people.

“Easy access to the internet just reinforces the message that everything is free and you never have to work for anything. That’s got to change.”

Mr Henderson added that parents also needed to take more responsibility in monitoring their children’s internet activity, claiming some are too willing to rely on the state or school teachers to do their jobs for them.

The Parliamentary inquiry will take evidence over the next two months from parents, child protection experts, internet gurus and chief executives or senior managers of many of Britain’s largest internet service providers.

The all-party group will then report its findings to Government ministers in November.

“There’s the possibility we overreact and I’m not a great believer in censorship or an internet clampdown,” said Mr Henderson. “Most children are sensible enough to not put themselves in dangerous situations but there are others who are vulnerable and need protection.

“The inquiry has got to look more at parental responsibility and access to the internet rather than a censorship of the internet itself.”

Communications minister Ed Vaizey (Con) said he was looking forward to receiving the all-party group’s report.

He added: “The internet is a powerful tool for education and entertainment but there is material online that is not suitable for children. Parents need to have the right tools to be able to protect their children from inappropriate content.”

The inquiry began on Thursday and will run until Tuesday, October 18.