Kia ora koutou
As the school holidays kick off this Friday and daylight saving starts the following weekend, many families will be juggling childcare or travel plans, and preparing to put their clocks forward in anticipation of summer.
The shift to 'holiday mode' has the potential to turn children’s sleeping and viewing patterns on their head – increasing the chance kids could stray into inappropriate content.
That makes this a perfect time of year to remind people about the tools they can use to ensure safe viewing and listening for the whānau.
We provide a useful plain-English video guide to timebands, classifications, audience advisories and parental locks, on the BSA website
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Classifications and audience advisoriesBroadcasters use classifications (G, PG, M, 16, 18) to signal the appropriate viewer age for a programme.
Different content types are flagged via audience advisories (L – language may offend; S – sexual content may offend; V – contains violence; C – content may offend).
Advisories should be used if the show is likely to disturb, distress or offend a significant number of viewers or be outside audience expectations. Classifications and advisories are shown in programme listings.
News, current affairs, sports and live content is not subject to classification. However, broadcasters must be mindful of children’s interests, and other broadcasting standards, and use advisories where appropriate.
open_in_newTimebandsA timeband is the time of day when programmes of a certain classification can be screened on free-to-air TV. Knowing what can air when can help caregivers protect children from unsuitable content:
- G and PG programmes can screen any time.
- M shows can screen when school-aged kids are at school (9am-3pm on weekdays, except during school and public holidays) and 7.30pm-5am.
- Programmes classified 16 can screen 8.30pm-5am.
- Programmes classified 18 can screen 9.30pm-5am.
The difference in timebands for M programmes, according to whether it’s a school or non-school day, reflects when tamariki might be watching. The adjusted timebands will be in place throughout the upcoming school holidays.
With brighter evenings and more relaxed holiday bedtime routines, it’s important to remember that the start of evening screening times for M, 16 and 18 programmes stay the same – even if the kids are up later.
There are no timebands for pay TV, reflecting the choice viewers make to subscribe, but pay-TV broadcasters are expected to use classifications and advisories and promote parental controls.
Parental locksThese empower viewers to password block programmes or (on SKY) specific channels. Parents can password-block adult content by blocking programmes classified PG, AO, M, 16 and 18.
Guides to using parental locks are available from Freeview
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More information on all of the tools, including our
quick guide videoopen_in_new and handy viewer guides in multiple languages, can be seen on the BSA website.
If you know of friends, whānau or colleagues who may find this information useful, please feel free to share it.
Broadcasting standards refresher sessions As part of our education and engagement function, the BSA offers refresher sessions on broadcasting standards and the complaints process for broadcasters and broadcasting training providers. These are interactive and can generally be completed within an hour. They’re particularly useful for new team members, those wanting to refresh their understanding and students seeking a general grounding in the standards system. If you’d like to book a session for your team, please be in touch.
Ngā mihi mahana
Stacey Wood
Chief Executive