Regulation, Certification and Classification

Media products are controlled in different ways, and the controls have three separate names. Regulation means setting and enforcing the rules for media content: it decides what may be shown, published or broadcast, and what happens to a company that breaks those rules. Classification means placing content into age categories, such as a film rating, so audiences can see who a product suits. Certification means confirming that a product has been officially rated or approved, such as a game that carries a rating symbol on its box. Classification and certification often go together: a body classifies the content, and the symbol on the product shows it has been certified.

Which body is responsible?

There is no single organisation for all media. The responsible body depends on the type of product being made.

Imagine you plan a cartoon character for a smoothie advert. The advert falls to the ASA. If you then make a short animated film starring the same character, the BBFC classifies it. If you turn it into a phone game, PEGI rates it. One character, three products, three different bodies, so you must check which one applies at the planning stage.

Why these systems exist

• To protect audiences from unsuitable or harmful content, especially children.
• To inform consumer choices, so people can judge whether content is right for them or their family.
• To maintain standards across media products, so companies work to the same rules.

Ratings are not friendly suggestions: they can restrict who can watch, buy or play something, and regulation can require changes to content. That is why a producer needs to know early on which body is responsible for the product being made, and plan the content, audience and packaging around its rules rather than leaving it until release.