Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of self-rating partnerships between British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and streaming services, and whether they plan to take steps to encourage wider adoption of BBFC age ratings on streaming services.

The Government has not made an assessment of self-rating partnerships between the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and video-on-demand (VoD) services. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, now has a new duty introduced through the Media Act 2024 to assess audience protection measures used by VoD services, such as age ratings, to ensure they are adequate to protect audiences from harm. The Government will in due course be designating mainstream VoD services, bringing them under enhanced regulation by Ofcom. Ofcom will then consult on a new standards Code for these services, similar to the Broadcasting Code. This could include the use of age ratings, if Ofcom considers it appropriate.