Mobile phone culture - machine gun fire and moan-tones!

The Australian Communications Authority is expected to release its rules on availability of mobile phone content, with strictures on classification and age eligibility. The industry has been divided among itself on the approach to take, wishing to profit from lucrative adult entertainment services but not at the expense of a backlash from consumers or government. So sections of the industry (the carriers, for instance) have toyed with applying the Internet codes of practice approach to mobiles (something they are keen to retain for their own proprietary services), then have recognised that this will not do for mobiles - given the nature of these devices (associated with an individual), their widespread use among young people, and the accepted boundaries of place and space they blur.

A debate yet to happen

There has neither been any significant involvement of, nor interest from, the wider public in regulating mobile phone content, nor adequate recognition of the need for basic consumer protection with these mobile services. The debate over the censorship and regulation of mobile phone content has mostly taken place in industry and government circles, with the odd participation from consumer representatives.

It is high time, then, that policy and regulatory debates and processes around mobiles be given a higher profile, and that civil society recognises the importance of participating in these conversations, which are shaping services.

In doing so, we need to decisively seize the day, and broaden the agenda. What matters in mobile phones is not just the purveying of porn, but, as they attain their majority, what these machines portend for cultural citizenship.