Mobile communication and the protection of children

Abstract

Mobile phones and other smart connected devices have fundamentally changed contemporary life. Globally, we see unprecedented explosion of new generation mobile phones. More precisely, mobile communication is nowadays really pervasive in social life. For instance, children and young persons are emerging as active players in the wonderful world of ringing and being ringed. Many of them are attracted by intriguing ring tones. However, the rapid mobile diffusion among children and young people raises a number of crucial questions. In what way do mobile phones pose a threat to children and young people in terms of content, contact, and commercialism? What impact does the use of mobile communication technology have on children and young people? How might we seek to address the inadequacies in the existing regulatory framework with regards to the protection of this vulnerable group? The purpose of our investigations is to compare the regulatory measures as adopted in Hong Kong with regulatory practices and arrangements of other jurisdictions. The main idea is to develop via comparison a viable regulatory strategy in mobile content regulation that is applicable in Hong Kong as well as worldwide.