16-hour Internet Cafe Curfew For Under-18s

[george]

16-hour internet cafe curfew for under-18s

Allowed on premises only from 2pm-10pm

BANGKOK: -- People under 18 are banned from internet cafes from 10pm until 2pm the following day under a new regulation now being enforced by the Culture Ministry. Internet cafe operators can still open 24 hours a day, but young people are allowed on the premises only from 2pm to 10pm. The regulation took effect on March 11.

''This regulation indeed recognises the around-the-clock nature of the internet and that members of the public can walk into an internet cafe at anytime,'' said Ladda Tangsupachai, director of the Cultural Monitoring Centre.

''But it also requires the operators to show responsibility to young members of society and help tackle problems involving on-line game addiction among youngsters.''

The regulation is part of the ministry's new duty in the area of overseeing media content under a cabinet resolution covering media content monitoring, rating and censorship. The new regulation has drawn flak from internet cafe operators, who yesterday lodged a complaint with the Administrative Court.

A group of 50 internet shops asked the court to nullify the regulation, arguing that it allows state authorities to abuse their power and infringe upon media rights.

Chavaphong Naiyanapath, the group's legal adviser, said since the regulation was issued under the 1997 Videotape and Television Act, a computer hard disk is classified as a visual medium like videotape.

So even though ministry officials will monitor the media content, it is the police who will act as law enforcer and have the power to search internet shops and confiscate evidence without getting a search warrant from the court.

''In short, the regulation makes it easier for police to raid an internet cafe and confiscate a hard disk without any proof of wrongdoing,'' he said.

Voravit Janchoolphol, internet cafe operator in Samut Prakan, said internet cafe operators had become the scapegoats for the increase in youth problems.

''But blaming us will not solve the problem. Indecent content can be passed on via mobile phones, too,'' he said.

''Big businesses such as game software companies and mobile phone operators can freely sell their goods and no one dare to do anything. We just wonder why the authorities exclude these big business from the problem,'' Mr Voravit said.

--Bangkok Post 2006-04-25

[Scott]

That's a good idea--put the little buggers out on the streets where they belong!

[astral]

But it is the school holidays...................

[ProfessorFart]

I must admit to being a little shocked at the number of kids around MTT who are crammed into the many internet cafes night and day.

The excuse that there is nothing else for them to do pales here as well as there are plenty of things for kids to do around here.

[hammered]

Cant help thinking that trying to deal with the root causes of issues like this would make more sense than just introducing more draconian laws and regulations.