David Cameron rejects automatic block on porn to protect children Campaigners, led by Claire Perry, Tory MP for Devizes, handed a petition of 115,000 names into Downing Street in September demanding an opt-in system for pornography. However, the Government's consultation response yesterday said it would instead rely on the voluntary co-operation of internet companies to strengthen controls on pornography. It will now urge the companies to "actively encourage parents, whether they are new or existing customers, to switch on parental controls." All users should be asked whether they have got children and parents would be guided through a process of installing anti-pornography filters. Ministers will also ask the big internet service providers to make sure the person setting up controls is over 18. Companies could face legislation in future if the Government feels they are not making enough of an effort to shield children from adult material. Child protection campaigners last night reacted with disappointment to the news that the Government is not backing an automatic block. Four in ten parents believe their children have been exposed to adult material on the internet. Alan Wardle, of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), said the tougher controls are "a step in the right direction" but they should have "gone further." "The best option to protect children is for adult content to be automatically blocked by internet service providers," he said. Given that half of the parents who took part in the Government consultation wanted this option we are concerned their views have not been heard. Hard core pornographic videos are just a few clicks away and a quarter of children have been sent unsolicited sexual material online. Helen Goodman, Labour's shadow media minister, said the lack of an automatic block is "disappointing." "It's a small step forward but I still don't think they are prioritising child protection," she said. She said it is "utterly fallacious" to suggest that parents might be lulled into a false sense of security if pornography is blocked. "It's like saying don't wear a seat belt because then people will drive dangerously," she said. Campaigners are now trying to get backing for new laws without the help of the Government. Baroness Howe, the wife of former Tory Chancellor Geoffrey How, is launching a bid to bring in an "opt-in" system through the House of Lords Last night, Lady Howe, an independent cross-bench peer, said: "I will be disappointed if this is left entirely to voluntary activity when a simply process like an opt-in system would protect children and help parents who can be less savvy with technology."