small screen News Digest of Australian Council on Children and the Media (incorporating Young Media Australia) ISSN: 0817-8224 No. 280 October 2011 Classification update & call for action found on our website at Two significant policy reviews related asking about the process by which older http://www.youngmedia.org.au/pdf/me- to classification reach critical points this very violent games will be reclassified into dia_releases/Nov11_ALRC-proposals.pdf the new R18+ category (as promised). week. An article on this topic which appeared on- One is the review of the classification The second review is the Australian Law line in The National Times and also in The guidelines for computer games (includ- Reform Commission Review of the Na- Age, can be found on Page 6 of this small ing the proposed introduction of a new tional Classification Scheme. Their propos- screen. R18+ category). The “agreed” proposed als are out for public comment by Novem- new guidelines were released by the Min- ber 18 . ACCM wins Childrens Week Award Australian Council on Children and the ister for Home Affairs, The Hon Brendan ACCM comment: Media has won a 2011 Childrens Week O’Connor, on Friday Nov 4. [http://www. ACCM is disturbed by the underlying phi- Award for the Know Before You Go Movie classification.gov.au/www/cob/rwpattach. losphy of deregulation (that also underpins Review service for a significant contribu- nsf/VAP/] and will be debated at the meet- the Convergence Inquiry), and the argu- tion to the development and well–being ing of Federal, State and Territory Ministers ments that it’s too unwieldy and costly for of children, through provision of easily for Law and Justice in Hobart on Nov.18th. the Govt to continue with mandatory clas- accessible, child centred reviews of cur- We understand that the Minister hopes to sification of all categories of films, DVDs, rent films. The award was presented to finalise the guidelines at this meeting. games and publications. The proposals are ACCM President Liz Handsley (seen at based on a view that the increasing flow of While these guidelines are a considerable right in the photo below) by the South games and apps means that only the upper improvement on those put out for public Australian patron of Children’s Week, Mrs levels of such can be classified by govern- comment in June-July this year, there are Liz Scarce at a Government House recep- ment agencies. still areas of concern to ACCM. We list tion on Monday 24 October. these below. If readers wish to support So the important task of classification is be- any of these concerns, prompt feedback to ing passed to the industry, who will decide your State or Territory Minister would be if something needs to be classified (out- needed. side the mandatory cinema films, games ACCM Comment: MA15+ and above, and all content likely to These guidelines treat violent content more be R18+ and above ), and to do the classifi- leniently than treatment of sexual activity, cation (with some training). There will be nudity and drug taking. multiple points of classification and a con- sequent loss of consistency and reliability. There are useful specific prohibitions in the preamble against sexual activity or nudity ACCM is concerned about: being related to incentives or rewards, but • the composition of the Advisory Com- none such in relation to violence. This ap- mittee that the ALRC has used (only plies to violence right from G to R18+. one person with evident involvement New AAP Policy Statement in child or youth issues, and many On the 17 October, the American Academy Further, at G the old anomaly exists where industry reps). of Pediatrics issued a new policy statement G violence is not limited to being infre- • the fact that most of what children will entitled Media use by children younger than 2 quent, but it is (and has been for years) at be exposed to will be subject to volun- years. This statement reaffirmed the AAP’s PG level. tary industry classification. 1999 statement with respect to media use • a focus on uniformity of classification At MA15+, only violence which is both in infants and toddlers and provides up- categories and criteria, with little detail dated research findings to support it. strong AND realistic AND frequent will be about how this will be operationalised put into R18+ . So violence that is strong in a selfregulated environment. The statement addresses and frequent can stay in MA15+, violence • games under MA15+ can be classified (1) the lack of evidence supporting educa- that is realistic and frequent can stay in by industry tional or developmental benefits for media MA15+, and strong and realistic violence • games at MA15+ will no longer be le- use by children younger than 2 years, that is infrequent (but perhaps sustained gally restricted (2) the potential adverse health and devel- for a long time) can remain in MA15+ . • an apparent loss of the quality ACMA opmental effects of media use by children It appears that these guidelines haven’t P and C classifications for TV. younger than 2 years, and (3) adverse effects of parental media use fixed the MA15+ criteria to meet the ex- Readers will find more information about pectation that “all those very violent games (background media) on children younger the ACCM’s position at: than 2 years. now going into MA15+ will be classified http://www.youngmedia.org.au/pdf/Sub- R18+“. missions/alrc11accmviewsfin.pdf http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/con- Further, we think it appropriate to be Our media release on this issue can be tent/early/2011/10/12/peds.2011-1753 CLASSIFICATION UPDATE NEW AAP POLICY STATEMENT NEW AUSTRALIAN STUDY ON VIOLENT GAMES AND CALL FOR ACTION EDITORIAL: GAMERS GET 18+ ACCM WINS AWARD BUT STILL UNHAPPY TOADY AWARDS ON AGAIN small screen October 2011 p2 EDITORIAL Gamers likely to get R18+ but unhappy still! many of those with opinions he doesn’t agree with. Fairly unusual no. 280 October 2011 Now that gamers are likely to get what behaviour for a moderator? What they argued for - a new R18+ classification I’m saying is there’s nothing wrong small screen accompanied by (claimed) increased protections with being partisan on this question, Editor: Barbara Biggins OAM for children - you’d think they’d be happy. but is it proper to be so when one is Compiler: Caroline Donald Barbara Biggins Editor of an ABC website? Editorial Board: Barbara Biggins, OAM Jane Roberts, Judy Bundy, But No! They don’t seem to like the fact that the Hon CEO Elizabeth Handsley. criteria for what might be allowable in the new It’s been interesting to observe the R18+ might be more limited than they expected. tactics used, over the past couple of years, by small screen is published at the gamers to promote their cause to have R18+ level beginning of each month and games legalised. They started out arguing for reports on the events of the Maybe they’ve finally realised a fact of life, the adult freedom to play R18+ level games and previous month 11 issues per or learned the basics of classification, that year (Dec/Jan double issue) the name of a category is not as important as that their freedoms were being infringed by not Published by the criteria used to assess what goes into it. being able to access higher level games (banned Australian Council on because the classification system doesn’t allow Children and the Media And what they’ve found is that the State and games over MA15+). (ACCM) Territory Ministers for Law and Justice have PO Box 447 shown themselves to be concerned enough for Then a PR campaign took over that changed Glenelg 5045 the protection of children, to make the criteria for the story a bit. It became a campaign to save the South Australia what goes into the MA15+ and R18+ categories kiddies. There were all those nasty games that [email protected] for games tighter than for films. had been “squeezed” into the MA15+ category, www.youngmedia.org.au and that kiddies could get at, that would be less Tel: +61 8 8376 2111 accessible if there was an R18+ category and Fax: +61 8 8376 2122 Nick Ross, Editor of the ABC online Technology Helpline: 1800 700 357 and Games site, has been actively campaigning those games could be pushed up there where for an R18+ for games for some time. they rightly belonged. Gamers stopped pushing ACCM is a national, non-profit the adult freedom line, saying that they really community organisation. didn’t want more violent games, and kept up the Its mission is to promote a In a recent piece online [http://www.abc.net.au/ quality media environment for technology/articles/2011/11/04/3356630.htm] he cry that children would be better protected by Australian children. attacks those who have argued on the other side, having an R18+ category. as “uninformed” and says that the government No part of this publication has been influenced by lobbyists. For anyone who The trouble was was that the governments may be reproduced without around Australia took up the issue of providing permission of the Editor. is well researched and has argued long and hard on the other side, and knows of others who also greater protection for children (so well put by the Contributions are welcome. have, to be labelled “uninformed” is a gratuitous industry) and have provided an R18+ category, slur. And as if the Government hasn’t been but proposed a tighter framework for MA15+ lobbied good and hard by the games industry??? and also for the new R18+, leaving R18+ games supporters like Nick Ross crying foul.