Principles emphasize prevention of direct harm to children, while avoiding over-censorship

Berlin — November 26, 2019 — A new set of recommendations launched at the Internet Governance Forum today suggests how sexual content can be allowed online without harming children.

These Best Practice Principles for Sexual Content Moderation and Child Protection were developed over six months through a multi-stakeholder process, led by child protection group Prostasia Foundation, with the participation of Internet companies, experts, and minority groups.

"Internet companies come under a lot of pressure simply to disallow content about sex, and this is harmful," said Prostasia's Program Director Meagan Ingerman. "Over-censorship of sexual content has resulted in the disappearance of information about sexual health and abuse prevention, and has diminished the voices of sexual minorities online." 

The new principles suggest that Internet companies should prioritize the removal of content that directly harms children, such as child abuse images, but that they should avoid blanket restrictions on non-abusive sexual content, and should consult with minority groups who might be affected by such restrictions.

The principles also caution against reliance on artificial intelligence algorithms to decide whether sexual content is permissible, and encourage companies to spell out their rules on sexual content in detail.

"Blanket bans on sexual content don't help keep children safe—they keep them in the dark, and hurt marginalized communities," Ingerman said. "By listening to people who are harmed by censorship, we were able to develop a set of principles that strike a better balance between child safety and human rights."

For further information:

Best Practice Principles for Sexual Content Moderation and Child Protection: https://prostasia.org/sexual-content-moderation-principles/

Jeremy Malcolm (Executive Director)
+1 415 650 2557 – [email protected]
Prostasia's website: https://prostasia.org

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