Tanya Byron, the clinical psychologist, is to head an inquiry into the impact of violent video games and internet pornography on children, ministers said today.

The appointment of Dr Byron, a columnist for The Times, could presage interventionist action. Ministers believe that the views of parents must be given as much weight as those of the technicians, government sources told The Times.

Ways of preventing children from watching violent and gory images, will be explored. Dr Byron, a mother of two who is for her appearances on the BBC series Little Angels and House of Tiny Tearaways, said that it was vital that parents understood the dangers of such material.

“The internet is a powerful and positive tool for children in terms of their learning and ongoing development,” she said. “However, we must all enable our children to use the possibility presented by the internet in a way that is both positive and safe.

“It is essential that parents and anyone involved in the care and development of young people are familiar with the material they will access and view, and of the potential and actual risks therein.”

Ofcom, the media watchdog, is already looking at the idea of a kite-marked filter device, with easy-to-understand instructions for parents, that could be sold with computers and video recorders.

Ed Balls, the Children, Schools and Families Secretary, said: “Children and young people have faster, easier and more immediate access to online information than ever before. More and more children and young people have mobile phones and play video games in their spare time.

“These technologies bring our children new, fantastic opportunities and lots of fun but we need to balance this with the risks and worries that parents have of their children accessing inappropriate content.

“This review is not about stopping children having fun or preventing them from taking full advantage of the educational, social and entertainment benefits that the internet and video games technologies offer. But it is about making sure they can do so safely, as far as possible, without being exposed to harmful or inappropriate material.”

“I want children to enjoy new media without their childhood being harmed.”

James Purnell, the Culture Secretary, said: “Many parents are worried about what their children may be accessing online. We want to work with them and the industry to see what more could be done to give parents the tools and advice they need.

“We already have protections in place for broadcasters and video but the development of the internet has brought new challenges. It is right that we keep pace with these changes.” The review will look at the evidence of risks to children’s safety and wellbeing and assess the effectiveness and adequacy of existing measures. It will also help parents to understand and manage the risks of access to inappropriate content.

A citizens’ jury on children’s services and education attended by Mr Balls and Gordon Brown in Bristol yesterday discussed the impact of the internet and video games on children.

The views of children, parents and the professionals will shape the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ ten-year Children’s Plan. Mr Brown issued a general appeal to the public to help him write children’s policy.

He told the group: “In the next 18 months we’ve got new plans for the Government and children’s services. You cannot do that in the modern world if it is just someone sitting in Whitehall or in another government office planning these things.

“You can only do it by responding to the concerns and aspirations of people like you here today who’ve thought about these things and understand the problems you face.”

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