BBFC Revises Classification Guidelines

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has published its new Classification Guidelines today, which will come into force on 24 February 2014.
The new guidelines follow a public consultation of more than 10,000 members of the public across the UK from December 2012 and throughout 2013. 95% of parents with children under 15 say they check the BBFC classification before watching a film. A further 89% of film viewers consider classification as important, while 92% of film viewers agreed with the classification of films and videos they had seen recently.
The most complained-about film of the past four years, The Woman in Black, received 89% support for its 12A rating. Only 11% thought it should have received a higher rating.
Changes to the Classification Guidelines include:
• Greater weight will be given to the theme and tone of a film or video, particularly around the 12A/12 and 15 level;
• Particular attention will be given to the psychological impact of horror, as well as strong visual detail such as gore;
• Regarding language, the public wants the BBFC to be stricter with the language allowed at U and more flexible about allowing very strong language at 15. Context, not just frequency, is the most important factor in how language in films is perceived by the public.
The BBFC continues to focus on sexual content within its guidelines, specifically where there are concerns regarding the sexualisation of girls and pornography.
Parents are also concerned about risks to adolescents including self-harm, suicide, drug misuse and premature access to sexual content.
David Cooke, Director of the BBFC, says: "Regular public consultation is crucial to continued public trust in what we do. Our new Classification Guidelines reflect explicitly concerns raised by the public during the 2013 consultation and will, I believe, ensure that we continue to be in step with what the public wants and expects in order to make sensible and informed viewing decisions.
"There is also room for continued improvement. Although it is 12 years old this year, the 12A rating remains confusing for a significant minority, with up to 27% of consumers unable to describe accurately what 12A means.
"We and the film industry will work during 2014 to improve understanding of this very important rating as well as raise awareness of BBFCinsight information, which is vital in helping parents decide if a 12A film is suitable for their child."
A PDF of the new guidelines is available here.
(IT/JP)