BSC PUBLISH ‘CONSENTING CHILDREN?’ REPORT

THE Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) have published a report that suggests good practice does exist on the use of children in television programmes.
Launching the study, Lord Dubs of Battersea, Chairman of the Commission, said: "This study demonstrates that good practice exists on the use of children in television programmes, however, there is a lack of ‘formal’ regulations such as those in place to protect professional child performers. It is important that broadcasters consider whether to extend these guidelines to cover all uses of children on television.
Furthermore, consideration needs to be given to gaining consent from children themselves. Clearly, children’s views should always be taken into account and their wishes must be respected".
The report looks at the participation of children who appear in television programmes, not as performers but as themselves, and asked who should give consent on their behalf.
Children are increasingly used in a variety of ways by programme makers in documentaries, game shows and other formats.
‘Consenting Children? - The Use of Children in Television Reality Programmes’ was commissioned by the BSC to gain a better insight into how informed consent is gained when children are used on television, looking at examples of best practice and it asked what the motives of participants and programme makers might be.
The research suggested that parents are often more enthusiastic about seeing their children perform on television than children are themselves. As such, it may be important that programme makers consider obtaining children’s consent independently when asking them to appear on television.
The project talked to viewers and involved non-performing children as well as child participants. It found that audiences’ main concerns were that:
Children should have the right to refuse to take part in programmes, even from quite a young age.
More of the safeguards that applied to child actors should also apply to non-performing children.
Parents and carers might not always act in the best interest of children. (CD)