Scare factor: Research prompting screen ratings rethink
Australia’s film, tv and video game classification system is failing the nation’s children, as new research shows families struggle to understand confusing content ratings.
A study by CQUniversity media experts for Children and Media Australia (CMA) found 86 per cent of parents want “scariness” included in classifications, and more than half wanted more age-specific guidelines across the current Parental Guidance (PG) category.
Overwhelmingly, parents also want specific warnings when sexual violence and suicide or self-harm are depicted, instead of current vague indicators like ‘Mature themes’.
CQU Media and Culture academic Dr Fae Heaselgrave led the study, titled Time to Listen: Why Australian parents need a better media classification system.
Screen timing
The Australian Government is currently seeking public feedback on recommendations to update the National Classification Scheme, with submissions open until Friday 29 May, and Dr Heaselgrave is urging parents to contribute their feedback on the proposals.
“The current classification scheme has been in place since 1995 and there has been no meaningful change to the way content has been rated during this time, despite significant transformations in the media landscape” Dr Heaselgrave explained.
“This puts Australian families in the precarious position of having to interpret what content is suitable for children based on contemporary concerns.
“The current consultation shows that parents and children were engaged in testing the proposed recommendations, yet there is no evidence they were offered alternative methods for classifying content”.
Dr Heaselgrave says this puts limitations on the results.
“In our research, we asked parents to classify movie content using the Australian scheme and another system that is widely adopted in parts of Europe that offers eight age categories (all ages, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18). More than half (57%) said they would prefer a system that has similar age-based classifications.”
Key findings from Time to Listen include:
- The PG rating is too broad and inconsistent, and parents perceived it to mean content is appropriate across 0-13 years, undermining its usefulness as a decision-making tool.
- Parents want clearer, age-based ratings that reflect children’s different developmental stages, for instance 6 years, 9 years, rather than indicators of perceived impact, such as Mild or Moderate.
- Of the six content elements currently classified (Sex, Violence, Drug use, Language, Nudity and Themes), Language and Themes were considered the least important, while most parents (97%) wanted Sexual violence and Suicide or self-harm included, along with Alcohol use or abuse (89%).
Scare aware
In the research, parents particularly reported that scary content – jump scares, suspenseful music, and frightening imagery – affected their children long after viewing.
One participant said: “I wish they would include scariness in the G/PG ratings. I know I can't show my kids any PG because they get scared too easily and there's no way to know in advance.”
Dr Heaselgrave said the findings reveal a critical gap between Australia’s current classification system and the needs of families.
“The recommendations in the latest consultation do not appear to be informed by the expertise of child-development professionals or researchers, and unless any new guidelines were regularly reviewed, Australia would lag behind other parts of the world,” she said.
Dr Heaselgrave’s co-authors were Dr Andrew Couzens from CQUniversity, and Professor Elizabeth Handsley, President of Children and Media Australia.
