1. How effective is Film and TV regulation in the Netflix era? 2. Should society or the individual or an educated elite decide what is a appropriate level of sex and violence to expose children to

With the rise of the internet and streaming services, it has become practically impossible to regulate all of the content shared, alongside the fact that as there is no age rating system, allowing younger children to be able to access content they are not supposed to be able to view. There is nothing stopping an underage internet user from accessing pirated copies of 18 movies/tv shows. Platforms such as Netflix do not legally require regulation from a governing body, meaning that even if a film/show is deemed unacceptable after regulation, Netflix can still allow that content to be readily available. Video sharing sites such as Youtube have become a host for a range of child-oriented content containing themes which would not be accepted by a regulatory body such as the BBFC. Therefore, unless the internet loses it’s open-access capabilities, these issues cannot be resolved. It is important that parents pay close attention to what their kids are viewing.

I believe that both society and the indivual share responsibility for the decision over which media they or their children decide to access. It is important that the age classification system is put in place to educate consumers about the sort of content present in these films. However, in it’s current state, the system is heavily flawed due to how they do not consider the varying rates of development between individual consumers. This is why it is important that parents make a moral decision whether or not that their child is developed enough or not to consume a media product as they understand their child personally. Once a parent feels their child is responsible enough, they should be able to self-regulate their consumption of media products based on identifying what they do and don’t feel comfortable viewing. While this system would be ideal, it has become harder to achieve due to the ease of accessing content unrestricted through unofficial sources. As well as this, a majority of childrens content is accessed through youtube, which is not regulated in correlation with a governing board’s ratings due to the vast influx of content shared every minute.

300 word summary - Regulation debate

I believe that as of today, Media regulation is more important than ever. However, I feel as though the system in its current state is heavily flawed. In an age where anyone can access whatever content they wish at the tip of their fingers, it has become almost impossible to regulate this material. Countless hours of footage are uploaded to sites like youtube every minute, making it virtually impossible to be manually monitored.

As well as this, material which is regulated (or even banned) is also accessible for free through pirate streaming services. I believe that there is little which the regulatory boards can do about this issue, leaving parents responsible. I believe parents should be educated about the type of content accepted for each age rating includes, and then form a moral decision whether or not their child would be comfortable viewing it, after all different individuals develop at different speeds, so whilst one 12 year old may feel comfortable watching 12 or higher films, another may react differently. Then once the individual and parent feels comfortable knowing what to expect in the product, they can be free to self-regulate the type of media they consume.

As for the internet, it is near impossible to regulate all content posted. A huge issue regarding that is the influx of kids-oriented content on youtube. While youtube’s kids app offers a filtered version of the site which only includes child-friendly content, many harmful videos targeting kids end up on the platform due to the app’s automatic regulation. It is important that parents closely examine the type of videos their kids are watching on the service, or better off, provide their child with a regulated app such as the cbeebies app.

Regulation

Regulation a2 media from Lewis Wilkinson

Regulation in the media

Regulation is the control/moderation over the content displayed in media products to determine whether the material is suitable for people of certain ages, and that the product does not project views against laws and morals. In the UK, it is legally required that every cinematic release is given an age rating by the BBFC, however in the 21^st century, the general public are exposed to a wide range of media products including TV shows, Music videos, Videogames and advertising to name a few, which all must be regulated to ensure the safety of the consumer.

As for who regulates the media, it is important that a diverse range of regulators agree on the ways products are rated, to ensure that views towards specific areas are not determined in bias. It is also important to re-watch the content to make sure that certain themes and messages haven’t gone unnoticed.

Nowadays, I believe that regulation of the media is more important than ever, as we live in an age of user generated content through sites such as YouTube, where videos are uploaded way too frequently to be regulated by a human. Many videos which target young children contain disturbing/inappropriate content for young minds, yet are deemed suitable due to their innocent appearance. It is also apparent that many parents are uneducated about age ratings for films/games, as many children grow up playing games and watching films which are inappropriate for impressionable young minds, so it is important that parents pay close attention to the types of content their children are consuming.