New ratings for kid-friendly TV content rolled out

Stuff co.nz 17 April 2020
Family First Comment: New rules:
* Content rated M can only play after 7:30pm, or between 9am and 3pm on weekdays.
* Programmes rated 16 can play after 8:30pm, and those rated 18 can only play after 9:30pm.
But as we know, the rating of programmes is way more liberal than most parents would allow.
And 7.30pm for M-rating and 8.30pm for R16 is downright scary. R18 movies should not even be on free-to-air television.
This new regime will give no confidence to parents at all.

A new classifications system will restrict what kind of television programmes can be shown before 7:30pm.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has replaced the old G, PGR, and AO system with the more detailed labels of G, PG, M, 16 and 18.

Under the previous system, programmes classed AO could not be aired before the 8:30pm watershed.

The new system creates three different watershed hours.

Content rated M can only play after 7:30pm, or between 9am and 3pm on weekdays.

Programmes rated 16 can play after 8:30pm, and those rated 18 can only play after 9:30pm.

Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft said the new system would offer more protection for children.

“Most, if not all, New Zealand families rely on timebands as a measure for protecting their children from unsuitable content. Even more so now, with the unprecedented nationwide lockdown we are in,” he said.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/121068115/new-ratings-for-kidfriendly-tv-content-rolled-out?cid=app-iPhone