Corporate Responsibility
Content Code of Practice
At Virgin Mobile we’re dedicated to looking after our customers in a socially responsible way. So, to help us protect customers who are under 18, we’ve restricted access to sites containing material that is only suitable for people who are 18 or over.
In January 2004, along with the five other UK MNOs, we established a voluntary code of practice to restrict the availability of unsuitable content to customers under the age of 18. The code provides for an independent classification body to classify material as "18", consistent with standards used by other media.
It allows us to control content as far as we can. This is usually via a , contract with the content provider. However, we do not have control over content that’s available over the internet.
One key commitment of the code is for each mobile operator to restrict access to commercial content classified as suitable for over 18s only.
Virgin Mobile has now implemented full access controls. Any customers wishing to access restricted content must first prove that they’re over 18. These restrictions will also apply to commercial content chat rooms unless they’re moderated.
Here’s a summary of the main measures within the Mobile Content Code of Practice:
- All adult material will be classified ‘18’, and the operators will make sure that mobile phone users have been age verified before they can access this material.
- Commercial chatrooms will only be accessible by those who are over 18 and they’ll still be moderated to make sure they are not used improperly.
- Parents and carers are offered the opportunity to apply appropriate filters to restrict access by other users.
- Mobile phone operators will work with the police and authorities to combat the distribution of illegal material, and will also work together to combat bulk nuisance communications.
- The mobile phone operators will work to provide advice and raise people’s awareness about how to use their mobile phones properly and protect themselves from undesirable material.