Prime Minister Gordon Brown commissioned former television psychologist Tanya Byron last year to investigate what risks children face from inappropriate internet sites and video games.

The six-month 'Byron Review", jointly backed by the Children, Schools and Families (CSF) and the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) departments, is also expected to report on protection measures and whether they are appropriate.

Among the raft of recommendations expected to be unveiled, and already reported by British newspapers, include:

* Giving video games a new movie-style age classification.

* Making it illegal for retailers to sell any video game to a child younger than the age rating on the game box. At present, only the most violent and sexually explicit games are regulated.

That means about nine in 10 games, with images of weapons, martial arts and extreme combat, are subject to scrutiny.

* Taking action against websites that feature suicide, which comes after a recent spate of teenage suicides in South Wales.

* Recommending blocking mechanisms for parents to protect children from seeing unsuitable games, emails or internet sites.

* Advising parents to ban computers and games consoles from children's bedrooms while encouraging them to use them in living rooms or kitchens.

Latest figures show the video game industry is worth more than 800 million pounds (S$2.2 billion) to the British economy.

'This is an issue that concerns all parties and every parent,' Mr Brown told Parliament earlier this year.

'It is right that we look again at the classification system for (video) games and at what is happening on the internet in influencing young children. We want children to be able to enjoy the benefits of the internet and video games without being influenced by pornography or violence.'

Ms Byron told a recent conference that children's views were central to her report, which she found challenging to compile.

'One of the many challenges is defining what we mean by harm or offence,' she said.

'We know clearly what we mean by illegal content, however when you get to harm and offence it becomes difficult.' -- REUTERS