Australian Regulator Publishes Mobile Chat Regulations

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released a guide for mobile chat providers on how to make their services safer for children. The Guide recognises the benefits that mobile chat services can bring for communications and social networking, but also provides information on the small but real risk of mobile chat services being used to facilitate illegal contact between children and adults.

Mobile chat services provide real-time text-based communication similar to internet chat rooms, and are becoming a common, enjoyable and useful medium for communication and social networking. Mobile chat services are accessed via premium SMS services or via mobile carrier portals, and are very popular among young people, including teenagers.

"ACMA is the first communications regulator in the world to establish a framework to promote the safety of young people at this early stage in the development of mobile chat services. The measures set out in ACMA's guide are likely to enhance young people's enjoyment of new communications services by providing them with an environment that maximises their safety," said Nerida O'Loughlin, ACMA General Manager, Industry Outputs Division. "For mobile chat providers, implementation of safety measures will enable them to highlight the safety of their services to younger users and parents."

A draft of the guide was released for public consultation in late 2005, and comments were received by ACMA from a range of interested parties.

'The quality of the Safety Measures Notice and guide is due in no small part to the thoughtful input and helpful suggestions made by mobile chat providers, child protection and advocacy groups, phone companies and others,' said Ms O'Loughlin.

Within 60 days of the publication of the Safety Measures Notice, all mobile chat providers must undertake an assessment of the risk of a particular mobile chat service being used to facilitate illegal contact between adults and children, and implement measures to minimise that risk."

Posted to the site on 16th May 2006