MINISTERS have praised a Trowbridge phone company after it pledged to restrict access to adult content on phones to over-18s only.
Virgin Mobile has adopted a new opt-in policy meaning customers must prove they are over 18 to access age-restricted experiences through their mobiles.
John Conlon, Virgin's head of adult services, said: "We want our customers to have access to as wide and as rich a range of content experiences on their mobile phone as possible, but we believe that it is important to protect our young customers from adult content.
"We have chosen to apply an 'opt-in' policy to ensure that those under 18 only gain access to suitable content."
Virgin Mobile staff have been involved in drawing up a new national Joint Code of Practice for New Forms of Content, which all mobile operators must now use to ensure they are protecting under-18s from adult content.
Minister for trade and industry Stephen Timms said: "The move will help protect children and give parents peace of mind, as well as preventing other users from receiving unsolicited material that they do not wish to receive."
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