Film Classification
The BBFC was set in order to protect children from unsuitable and even harmful content in films and videos and to give consumers information they might need about a particular film or video before deciding whether or not to view it. The BBFC examines and age rates films and videos before they are released.
The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range. At U we only allow infrequent use of very mild bad language (e.g. ‘damn’ and ‘hell’). Characters may be seen kissing or cuddling and there may be references to sexual behaviour. However, there will be no overt focus on sexual behaviour, language or innuendo. Violence will generally be very mild. A U film may include brief fight scenes or moments where characters are placed in danger.
Examples of a U rated films:
PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. A PG film will not contain any theme which is inappropriate for a child. PG works can explore challenging issues such as bullying, bereavement or racism. There may be mild bad language (such as ‘shit’ or ‘son of a bitch’) in a PG film, but the context and delivery are always important. For example, if the language is used aggressively or if there is a great deal of bad language, a work may be passed at a higher category.potentially dangerous or antisocial behaviour which young children are likely to copy, such as bullying, or playing with electricity, will not be condoned or seen to go unchallenged, especially if it comes across as safe or fun.
Examples of PG rated films:
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The 12A requires an adult to accompany any child under 12 seeing a 12A film at the cinema. This is enforced by cinema staff and a cinema may lose its license. It means that retailers cannot sell or rent the item unless the customer is over the age of 12. The BBFC's Guidelines state that strong language (e.g. 'f***') may be passed at 12 or 12A, depending on the manner in which it is used. There may be moderate language (e.g. uses of terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘twat’ at 12 or 12A). Moderate physical and psychological threat is permitted at 12A or 12A as long as horror sequences are not too frequent or sustained and the overall tone is not disturbing. At 12A, moderate violence is allowed but it should not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries or blood, but occasional gory moments may be permitted. Action sequences and weapons may be present at 12A or 12. Weapons which might be easily accessible to 12 year olds (such as knives) should not be glamorised in 12A and 12 works.
Examples of 12 and 12A rated films:
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15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age. These are the type of things you'd see in a 15 rated movie:
Strong violence Frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') Portrayals of sexual activity Strong verbal references to sex Sexual nudity Brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence Discriminatory language or behaviour Drug taking. There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language, and the work could explore themes relating to this. There can be strong references to sex and sexual behaviour, but especially strong or crude references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. At a 15 rating violence may be strong. It should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury, however, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse (for example, through instructional detail) Examples of 15 rated films:
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No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children. No theme is prohibited at 18. Adults are free to choose their own entertainment provided the material is not illegal or potentially harmful, so it is possible some themes tackled at 18 may be offensive even to some adult viewers.18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:
very strong violence frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***') and / or very strong language (e.g. ‘c***’) strong portrayals of sexual activity strong horror strong blood and gore real sex (in some circumstances) discriminatory language and behaviour There can be strong and detailed portrayals of sex at 18, including full nudity. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context. Very strong, crude and explicit sex references are permitted at 18. An 18 film or video might also contain depictions of real sex, as long as the film or video is not a sex work. There may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory language at 18, and the work could explore themes relating to discrimination. Examples of 18 rated films:
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There is more information on the BBFC official website: