Kids’ TV content rules to remain

For broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 9 Mar 2014.

Debates over censorship of sex and violence on screen are fuelled by changing social values and the desire for commercial profit.

On Wednesday, the Australian Communications and Media Authority dismissed calls by free-to-air television stations to abolish a longstanding ban on screening sexual and violent content before 8.30pm, declaring that there was “justification for safeguards to enable parents to protect children from inappropriate or harmful content.”

The Authority’s report, drawing on a nine-month inquiry, noted strong public support for children’s programming restrictions. The industry had argued that such regulations were “outdated” in the so-called “digital age.”

Chief Executive of the Australian Council on Children and the Media, Barbara Biggins, also called for the time restrictions to remain in place. She said, “Families still expect to sit down and watch something together that is not going to be harmful to their children.”

A win for children, for parents, and for the common good.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.