BBFC Classification

Universal

Suitable for all

Parental Guidance

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children

A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over, although it is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. U films should be set within a positive framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror.

If a work is particularly suitable for pre-school children, this will be indicated in the BBFCinsight.

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

• Potentially dangerous or anti-social behaviour which young children may copy must be clearly disapproved of or be presented unrealistically.
• No emphasis on realistic or easily accessible weapons

• No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy, if that behaviour is presented as safe or fun.
• No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives.
• No focus on anti-social behaviour which young children are likely to copy.

• Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of.

• Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of, or in an educational or historical context, or in a particularly dated work with no likely appeal to children.
• Discrimination by a character with whom children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.

• No references to illegal drugs or drug misuse unless they are infrequent and innocuous, or there is a clear educational purpose or anti-drug message suitable for young children.

• References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.

• Infrequent use only of very mild bad language.

• Mild bad language only.
• Aggressive or very frequent use of mild bad language may result in a work being passed at a higher category

• Occasional natural nudity, with no sexual context.

• There may be nudity with no sexual context.

• Only very mild sexual behaviour (for example, kissing) and references to such behaviour.

• Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent.
• Mild sex references and innuendo only

• Scary or potentially unsettling sequences should be mild, brief and unlikely to cause undue anxiety to young children. The outcome should be reassuring.

• Frightening sequences or situations where characters are in danger should not be prolonged or intense.
• Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.

• Violence will generally be very mild.
• Mild violence may be acceptable if it is justified by context (for example, comedic, animated, wholly unrealistic).

• Violence will usually be mild.
• However there may be moderate violence, without detail, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).

Suitable for 12 years and over.
No-one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video or DVD. Responsibility for allowing under-12s to view lies with the accompanying or supervising adult.

Suitable for 12 years and over.
No-one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult.

No-one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video or DVD.

• No promotion of potentially dangerous behaviour which children are likely to copy.
• No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons such as knives.
• No endorsement of anti-social behaviour.

• Dangerous behaviour (for example, suicide, self-harming and asphyxiation ) should not dwell on detail which could be copied.
• Whether the depiction of easily accessible weapons is acceptable will depend on factors such as realism, context and setting.

Hanging has been replaced by asphyxiation in the examples of dangerous behaviour.

• Discriminatory language or behaviour must not be endorsed by the work as a whole.
• Aggressive discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly condemned.

• The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour,
• although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.

• Misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail.

• Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through instructional detail).
• The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

• There may be moderate language.
• Strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification

• There may be strong language.
• Very strong language may be permitted, depending on the manner in which it is used, who is using the language, its frequency within the work as a whole and any special contextual justification.

• There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it must be brief and discreet.

• There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
• Sexual nudity may be permitted but strong detail is likely to be brief or presented in a comic context.

• Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.
• Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable.

• Sexual activity may be portrayed, but usually without strong detail.
• There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
• Repeated very strong references, particularly those using pornographic language, are unlikely to be acceptable.
• Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal are unacceptable.

Sexual Violence and Sexual Threat

• There may be verbal references to sexual violence provided they are not graphic.
• The stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, may only be implied and any sexual threat or abusive behaviour must be brief and negatively presented.

[The previous 2014 guidelines stated:

Sexual violence may only be implied or briefly and discreetly indicated, and its depiction must be justified by context.

So now the previously allowed brief and discreet indication of sexual violence is no longer allowed at 12].

• There may be strong verbal references to sexual violence
• but any depiction of the stronger forms of sexual violence, including rape, must not be detailed or prolonged.
• A strong and sustained focus on sexual threat is unacceptable.

[The previous 2014 guidelines stated:

There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but the depiction of sexual violence must be discreet and justified by context.

The upshot is that strong and sustained sexual threat is no longer allowed at 15].

• There may be moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences.
• Although some scenes may be disturbing, the overall tone should not be.
• Horror sequences should not be frequent or sustained

• There may be strong threat and horror.
• A sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable.

• There may be moderate violence but it should not dwell on detail.
• There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted if justified by the context.

• Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury.
• The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
• Strong sadistic violence is also unlikely to be acceptable.

No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

General

Adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas:

• where the material is in breach of the criminal law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence
• where material or treatment appears to us to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society. For example, the detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals. This may include portrayals of sadistic or sexual violence which make this violence look appealing; reinforce the suggestion that victims enjoy sexual violence; or which invite viewer complicity in sexual violence or other harmful violent activities
• where there are more explicit images of sexual activity in the context of a sex work (see below) or where the primary purpose of the images in question is sexual arousal

In the case of video works, which may be more accessible to younger viewers, intervention may be more frequent than for cinema films.

Sex Education

Sex Works at 18

• Sex works are works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation.
• Sex works containing only material which may be simulated are generally passed 18.
• Sex works containing clear images of real sex, strong fetish material, sexually explicit animated images, or other very strong sexual images will be confined to the R18 category.
• Material which is unacceptable in a sex work at R18 is also unacceptable in a sex work at 18

References to underage sex

Following recent cuts made to a sex work -- KATIE K'S TEENAGE RAMPAGE 5 -- to remove verbal references to sexual activity below the age of 16, the Board reviewed the BBFC's policy in relation of such references and confirmed that there should be no reference to sexual activity below the age of 16 in sex works.