British parents want games regulated

BBFC poll shows three quarters "concerned"

27 February 2009 0:01 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

Three quarters of British parents are concerned about the content of video games and want independent regulation of their content, according to a new YouGov poll carried out on behalf of the British Board of Film Classification.

The poll is timely as it has been conducted just before the government is due to decide whether to let the games industry continue to regulate privately.

The BBFC says this shows that parents "overwhelmingly favour some sort of system which would see video games rated in the same way DVDs and films are rated".

"This poll clearly shows parents support a regulatory system for games that is independent of the industry and UK based, reflecting UK sensibilities and sensitivities. The UK public wants the protection of children to be paramount when regulating games which, of course, reflects the concerns which led to Tanya Byron being asked to produce her report", says David Cooke, director of the BBFC.

"The BBFC has been classifying games for over 20 years and our decisions reflect the views of the public. Our classification systems and symbols are known and trusted by the public and in a converging media world they want to know what their children are playing as well as watching".