BBFC Annual Report and Accounts 2018
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Annual report and accounts 2018 British Board of Film Classification Annual Report and Accounts 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2018 Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 6(2) of the Video Recordings Act 1984 © British Board of Film Classification 2019 The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as © British Board of Film Classification and the document title specified. Where third party material has been identified, permission from the respective copyright holder must be sought. Please send any enquiries related to this publication to [email protected] You can download this publication from bbfc.co.uk British Board of Film Classification, 3 Soho Square, London W1D 3ED bbfc.co.uk Contents President’s introduction 4 Chief Executive’s report 6 Accountability 8 Ratings info and resources 9 Feedback from the public 10 Education outreach 12 Age-verification 13 Non-statutory content 14 Enforcement 15 Research 16 U Universal 17 PG Parental Guidance 21 12A Cinema 12 Home Ent 25 15 31 18 37 R18 41 Video games and associated media 42 Unclassified content 42 Legal issues 43 Statistics 44 Video Appeals Committee 48 Consultative Council 48 Advisory Panel on Children’s Viewing 49 Business review 2018 50 Strategic report 51 Directors’ report 52 Accounts 55 Photographic credits 71 President’s introduction The classification of cinema and physical home entertainment content remains at the heart of what we do. However, as more viewing shifts online, there is increasing public demand for a trusted guide to help people choose content that is right for them and their families and avoid content that is not. The strongest demand comes from teenagers, who are the most avid viewers of films and series online. We sought the views of over 1,000 teenagers during a major public consultation we carried out in 2018. Ninety five percent of them told us that they wanted consistent age ratings online and offline. They want, and need, the same ratings that exist in cinemas and on DVDs to apply on VOD platforms. It is our duty to meet Patrick Swaffer - this demand. President So, once again in 2018 child online Government in 2018. In this area, can be filtered or have parental safety and protection has been a the BBFC draws on expert advice in controls linked to it major area of concern for us. order to do this, for example working • establishing and regulating age- in partnership with the Samaritans, verification beyond pornography, Bringing offline protections online on assessing risk around depictions including on a granular level, of suicide. to help online media platforms Since 2008, the BBFC has been at enforce their own terms and the forefront of working to promote In partnership with other regulators conditions initiatives that help bring offline and with industry during 2018, we protections online, in accordance continued to develop new, scalable BBFC designated as Age- with public expectations. These classification methods that are able verification Regulator voluntary initiatives have proved to bring offline protections online. positive, contributing to child For example, the BBFC’s You Rate It In February 2018, the BBFC was protection in the online space. The tool (YouRI), developed in partnership designated as the Age-verification BBFC now rates content for release with the Dutch regulator NICAM and Regulator under the Digital Economy on online platforms, including with cooperation from colleagues in Act 2017 because of our expertise Netflix and Amazon. We are also the Italy and Ireland, is able to provide online and in relation to adult content regulator for the UK’s mobile age ratings for user-generated content. By the end of the year, networks, ensuring that over the content (UGC) on online video- following a public consultation, last five years hundreds of millions sharing platform services through a our Guidance on Age-verification of websites are filtered according to simple questionnaire, designed to be Arrangements and Ancillary BBFC standards. completed by those uploading videos Service Providers was approved onto a platform, or by the crowd, by Parliament. This guidance will This broad objective of offline and or by both. It can then potentially ensure that robust age-verification online parity of protection was also be linked to parental controls and standards will have to be met by reflected in the Government’s formal could assist the Government’s online commercial pornographic Response to its Consultation on the determination to make social media, services. It is a considerable step Internet Safety Strategy, published in in particular, safer for children online. forward, which will not only stop May. We fully support the objectives Looking forward, the BBFC will young children from stumbling across set out by Government in this space. remain committed to working content on adult websites, but also with others – Government, fellow support the educational efforts which Both offline and online, the BBFC regulators, industry, children’s have an important role to play in has unparalleled experience in charities – to contribute to helping also protecting children in the online considering questions of harmful achieve the objective of making space. content for minors. For example, the internet a safer place for British the BBFC’s regulatory experience children. Two specific areas where The BBFC continues to work closely in taking account of mental health the BBFC is principally well-skilled with other organisations whose issues relating to young and and able to contribute include: primary aims are the protection and vulnerable people in its classification • defining and assessing age- education of children. In particular decisions across websites and other inappropriate, potentially harmful with the children’s charities sector, audio-visual material is second and illegal content and ensuring meeting collectively to ensure our to none and was highlighted by that such content is labelled and shared objectives are aligned and 4 President’s introduction to update on age-verification and over 1,200 parents of children aged an end. I want to express my thanks the Digital Economy Act. A focus 3-17 who use VOD services and to them both for their support, hard on age verification in other areas nearly 600 children aged 10-17 who work and the insight and good sense has already been highlighted by use VOD services. It also surveyed they brought to the classification of children’s charities, as a potentially 800 parents of children aged 3-7 and difficult material. During their time important contributing factor to nearly 450 children aged 10-17 who at the BBFC they have overseen better protect children online. say they buy online games. and actively encouraged the development of our work to protect In 2018, we also worked closely with Although the response from industry children and provide families with the PSHE Association, developing, demonstrated a commitment to trusted advice. This is reflected and achieving accreditation for, a provide the type of information that particularly in our online regulatory Key Stage 2 educational resource their customers require, it is clear partnerships and our designation as which has been sent to well over that more can be done, with the the Age-verification Regulator. 500 schools since it was launched. public survey highlighting a demand Beyond this, the BBFC’s dedicated for greater coverage of age ratings I should like to welcome as our new Education Team spoke to almost online and for those age ratings to Vice Presidents Murphy Cobbing and 10,000 people, primarily children come from a recognised and trusted Lord Kamlesh Patel. Their combined and young people and their teachers source. In particular, almost 80% of skills and experience mean that the from across the UK to help guide parents are concerned about children BBFC will continue to be provided children in particular to make viewing seeing inappropriate content on VOD with the support and expertise choices that are right for them. 60% platforms, 89% of parents believe needed to effectively carry out its of our audience during 2018 were VOD content should always carry important work and develop new secondary age, 25% primary, 7% age ratings, 92% of parents think it is and innovative models to support University, 3% adult public and 1% important for VOD platforms to show initiatives to ensure child online filmmakers, with adults working the same type of ratings they would safety and protection. in the UK film industry and home expect at the cinema or on DVD/ educated children making up the Blu-ray, and 94% of parents think it’s rest. This face-to-face contact important to have consistent ratings is in addition to the significant across all VOD platforms, rather than educational resources we provide a variety of bespoke systems. The online. parallel survey about online games painted a similar picture. These Age labelling and parental controls figures were very close indeed to the online findings of the BBFC’s Classification Guidelines, which David discusses in In July 2018, the Minister for Digital his report. and the Creative Industries, Margot James MP, commissioned the BBFC In response to these findings, and and our colleagues at the Video as we go into 2019, the BBFC and Standards Council (VSC) to look at VSC will work with Government to the current state of age labelling provide industry with best-practice and parental controls online for recommendations for voluntary age Lord Kamlesh Patel - Vice President video and video game content. We labelling and parental controls to and the VSC were asked to identify allow services to work with both areas for improvement that would bodies towards more consistent better meet the Government’s key application of age labelling between commitment of making the UK online and offline content.