Apple's vision of a mini-censorship officer for mobile phones could bring the era of the school sex-text scandal to an end.

The US patent office has granted the company intellectual property rights for a system that would let parents classify messages children received on their mobile phones as "G, PG, R or X, or any other appropriate ratings".

Apple wrote in the patent application that the system would let a parent or guardian select a rating "to filter incoming and outgoing messages for that user".

The content control was among many uses for the system contemplated in the patent, including education.

Technology experts instantly recognised its focus on curbing underage "sexting" -- sending sexually explicit text messages.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has been a vocal critic of Google's Android mobile phone system and early this year decried the Google system for offering adult content.

The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on whether it believed the technology would be effective. The law enforcement agency recently teamed up with the National Association of Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect to run a child cyber-safety education program called "thinkUKnow" as part of National Child Protection Week.

Sexting was singled out for an educational video.

Source: The Australian