Internet awareness – do you know what your child is seeing online?
Age ratings and Age verifications – how do they work?
There are a number of ways that you can work out whether a piece of content is suitable for your child. Many platforms use a type of rating to advise on the level of violence and explicit content that a piece of media contains.
In the UK the British Board of Film Classification helps to regulate and classify the content of films shown in the cinema but it is now also working on legislation to restrict access to online pornography by requiring commercial pornography websites to introduce age verification to keep out under 18s.
While this is being worked out, here are just some things you can watch out for to help you make an informed choice on whether an app, website or piece of content is suitable for your child.
Understanding App age ratings
Both Google Play App and Apple app store use app store to highlight the level of sexual content, swearing, mature themes and substance abuse an app may contain.
Although these ratings are helpful to determine whether an app is appropriate for your child, in some cases the ‘age rating’ placed on an app may not be a true reflection of the level of risks that your child may be exposed to adult content. In addition to being guided by the age ratings, it’s always a good idea to explore the app together with your child and read up on it to have more insight.
Online gaming PEGI ratings
Pan European Game Information or PEGI are used to advise on which video games are only suitable for older or younger teens or adults only due to the type of content they have.
Pegi ratings were introduced in 2003 and range from PEGI!, PEGI 3, PEGI 7, PEGI 12, PEGI 16 and PEGI 18. The number relates to the age that the game is appropriate for. So, if a game has a PEGI 7 rating, it is suitable for children 7 and over. These ratings are legally enforceable so it is illegal to sell a PEGI 18 game to a child. Also, these ratings do not relate to the level of difficulty of the game just the level of appropriate content
On-demand platforms
On apps like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime, you’ll see age ratings displayed across the content they have on offer. These may differ from platforms but the rating will always advise if something is for a ‘mature’ audience or specify if the content ‘contains strong language’.
For more information please visit www.internetmatters.org