The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has presented stricter guidelines regarding the nudity and explicit scenes in movies that are 12 or 12A rated. The new Classification Guidelines come after a survey taken among British citizens. The BBFC says that the general public is worried about the amount of explicit content the young children are encountering.
Notably, this audience survey included 12,000 responses from the country, and it was the board’s first major survey in the last five years. It was found that the public remains concerned about the sex, nudity, violence, and the use of drugs shown in the movies.
The British Board of Film Classification said,
People are calling for a more cautious approach to classifying sex scenes at the border of 12A/12 and 15. Participants were concerned by the level of sexual detail, nudity and the duration of the sex scenes rated 12A/12 under the 2019 guidelines.
Similar content is now more likely to be rated 15,
Reportedly, this survey encompassed 28 trailers, 151 clips, and 33 films to measure public sensitivity. The results make it clear that the audience doesn’t have a problem; instead, they are happy if the Classification Guidelines stay lenient towards the sex references that are made in comic contexts.
Meanwhile, there have not been a lot of changes to the guidelines since 2019. However, the organization said that the audience has become more concerned about the violence depicted on screens. The audience sometimes finds it disturbing across all age ratings.
Notably, a 12 rating means that children over the age of 12 are allowed to watch a movie, while 12A allows children under 12 to watch the movie if seen with an adult. In the movie with these ratings, sexual activities or nudity “may be briefly and discreetly portrayed.”
A 15 rating, however, only allows it “without strong detail.” Even if it has strong details, they should not be for a longer duration and should be in a comical context.
