Parents Call For Tighter TV Classification
Parents are demanding to have better information about the content of TV programmes to help them regulate their children’s viewing, according to the latest research from the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) and the Independent Television Commission (ITC).
The study, Striking A Balance: The Control Of Children’s Media Consumption, examined parents attitudes on how to monitor what their children are exposed to via television and the internet. It found that parents would like to see more information about programming content and would welcome a system where TV shows are classified along the same lines as cinema releases.
The watershed was found to be a “highly valued mechanism” in regulating children’s television viewing, but there was concern about the pre-watershed content of some genres including soaps and police dramas.
In general television regulation was found to be effective and the prospect of further regulation unwelcome. However, parents indicated that they were concerned about their children stumbling across unsuitable content on the internet.
They felt that the tools available for controlling their children’s use of the internet were too complex to install and lacked a simple age categorisation. They called for simple labelling and easy to use filtering systems in order to prevent accidental exposure to unsuitable websites.
Overall, the research shows that most parents are keen to play an active role in controlling their children’s media consumption habits. However, it also identified the need for broadcasters, content providers and regulators to work to develop new ways of helping them achieve this.
Earlier this year the BSC released a study showing that viewers are becoming increasingly concerned about the levels of sex and violence in British soaps. The report found that many viewers believe the sensationalist nature of storylines in soaps such as EastEnders and Coronation Street is rendering them unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing (see Viewers Concerned About Sex And Violence In Soaps).
BSC: 020 7233 0544 www.bsc.co.uk ITC: 0207 306 7743 www.itc.org.uk
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