Video game and Web laws for young to be reviewed

LONDON (Reuters) - The government said on Thursday it had launched an inquiry to see what new legal measures may be required to protect children from the impact of violent video games and Web pornography.

Britain already has extensive rules covering broadcasters and the video industry, but said it needed to keep pace with developments on the Web and may need to bring in new regulation.

Regulation of video content in Britain became compulsory in 1984. Still, a number of games have been withdrawn by retailers in recent years after complaints about the level of violence shown. Some studies have suggested a link between video game violence and aggressive behaviour in children.

The review, which is backed by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will look at how well children are protected from harmful and inappropriate material on the Internet and video games.

The government said it appointed clinical psychologist Tanya Byron, who has written books on child care and made television programmes on parenting, to lead the six-month review.

Culture Secretary James Purnell said he wanted children to enjoy new media without their childhood being harmed.

The review, which will not cover television content, will also look at how advertisers may need to face new rules and consider the impact of user-generated content on the Internet.

(Reporting by Gavin Haycock)