CFP | Nº 11- 2023 | Second stage - Monographic: "The defenselessness of minors being exposed to internet pornography ".
Focus
Cuadernos del Audiovisual | CAA inaugurates its second stage in research journal format with the subject of minors' access to pornography on which, given the alarm signals, it has been focusing studies and activities in recent times.
The Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía is the audiovisual authority in charge of the compliance with the current regulations on audiovisual matters and advertising in the audiovisual media, in accordance with the provisions of articles 1 and 2 of Law 1/2004, of December 17, of creation of the CAA. In accordance with the functions established in Article 4, it is responsible for safeguarding the rights of minors, young people, senior citizens, people with disabilities, immigrants and other groups in need of greater protection, with regard to the contents of programming and advertising broadcasts (...).
Within the framework of these competences, the CAA's Strategic Plan 2021/2023 contemplates, as one of its objectives and actions, the protection of minors from audiovisual contents, in general, and with respect to these contents broadcasted through the Internet, in particular.
The risks to which children are exposed and their avoidance is based on the best interests of the child, enshrined in Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is also included in articles 2 and 3 of Organic Law 1/1996, of 15 January, on the Legal Protection of Minors and Law 4/2021, of 27 July, on Childhood and Adolescence of Andalusia, respectively. The aforementioned article 2 provides that all minors have the right to have their best interests valued and considered as paramount in all actions and decisions concerning them, both in the public and private spheres. In the application of this law and other rules that affect them, as well as in the measures concerning minors adopted by public or private institutions, the Courts, or legislative bodies, their best interests shall prevail over any other legitimate interest that may concur.
The Organic Law 8/2021, of June 4, on the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence dedicates its Chapter VIII to new technologies and expressly recognizes the risks derived from an inappropriate use that may generate phenomena such as the access and consumption of pornography among the underage population.
El Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía has been showing its concern for the easy access of minors to pornographic contents and the associated effects and risks. In this sense, several reports, works and meetings have been carried out with experts from all the areas involved. Likewise, in 2021, a technical report was prepared by the Content Area of the CAA on age verification measures for Spanish websites2 offering pornographic content. Subsequently, Decision 5/2022 was adopted, on the protection of minors from pornographic content on the Internet3, in which, among other considerations, the CAA considered it essential to review the current regulatory regime regarding the control and access to pornographic content on the Internet, and urged the competent authorities in this area and Internet platforms that host this type of content to tighten the requirements for accessing pages with pornographic content.
Subsequent to the entry into force of Law 13/2022, of July 7, General Audiovisual Communication, the Council updated the aforementioned technical report, and it was found that none of the pages included therein whose companies were registered in Spain complied with the age verification requirements demanded by Article 89.1 of the LGCA, which was transferred to the competent administration, the National Commission for Markets and Competition, for the appropriate purposes, by means of an Agreement4 of the Plenary of the AAC of March 15, 2023.
In addition to this concern of the Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía, there are several reports that show the increase in the access of minors to pornography on the Internet. This is the context in which we invite you to submit research related to the thematic areas indicated below.
Issues
Contributions are invited that are preferably related to the following aspects:
- Works with contributions on safeguarding the rights of minors and young people that contribute to a greater and better knowledge of the reality regarding minors' access to pornography on the Internet and its effects.
- Research providing data and analysis of attitudes and risk behaviours as well as possible legislative improvements in this area.
- Contributions on the dangers of minors' access to the Internet in the family environment and in schools.
- Research on media literacy and good practices as well as measures and recommendations of different types to be taken to address the worrying data on minors' access to pornography on the Internet (technical, governmental, legislative measures).
- Research based on empirical data on the consumption of pornography by minors.
- Research that connects the increasingly early and intensive access to technology with early access to pornographic content by minors.
- Connection of pornography access by minors and other associated issues: depression, bullying, violence, eating disorders, risk patterns, gender studies, etc.
Instructions and submission of proposals
- The editorial rules of the Cuadernos del Audiovisual | CAA must be followed.
- Submission of proposals for the Monograph through the OJS Platform.
- Web portal of the Cuadernos del Audiovisual | CAA.
All articles submitted must be original and unpublished and must not be under review by other publications. They will be submitted to the double-blind peer review process and the publication undertakes to inform the authors of the positive or negative result of the evaluation within a maximum period of two months of their submission. Contributions should be submitted in accordance with the journal's style guidelines attached,
