Children, Sex and the Media
Children, Sex & The Media:
A discussion on regulatory legislation and academic theories on children and their consumption of media
With the increase in popularity and availability of new media like the internet and mobile media and an increase in traditional media consumption – like television and print media – by the youth, guidelines and regulation enforcement has become an important issue. The media is constantly redefining itself and the creation of new forms of media is occurring at an exponential rate, thus regulation has become increasingly problematic. This essay will analyse the concepts of childhood which inform South African legislation while paying specific attention to the notion of children’s vulnerability, also debating where media consumption responsibility lies and the notion of children’s vulnerability and the politics inherent to these debates.
The aim of the Films and Publications Act of 1996 is “to regulate the distribution of certain publications and the exhibition and distribution of certain films, in the main by means of classification, the imposition of age restrictions and the giving of consumer advice, due regard being had to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic” (1996). The act, along with the amendments strive to protect children from exploitation and harm, for example outlawing child pornography and media that depicts and may cause mental and/or physical harm to a child.
According to guidelines set by the Film and Publication board in the 1996 Film and Publications Act, young children are those individuals younger than the age of ten. Preteens are those individuals between ages eleven to fifteen. Teenagers are classified between the age of sixteen and seventeen. Legally, adults are those older than the age of eighteen and therefore all individuals younger than the age of eighteen are deemed children by the constitution.
These classifications have come a long way and now cover a wider
A discussion on regulatory legislation and academic theories on children and their consumption of media
With the increase in popularity and availability of new media like the internet and mobile media and an increase in traditional media consumption – like television and print media – by the youth, guidelines and regulation enforcement has become an important issue. The media is constantly redefining itself and the creation of new forms of media is occurring at an exponential rate, thus regulation has become increasingly problematic. This essay will analyse the concepts of childhood which inform South African legislation while paying specific attention to the notion of children’s vulnerability, also debating where media consumption responsibility lies and the notion of children’s vulnerability and the politics inherent to these debates.
The aim of the Films and Publications Act of 1996 is “to regulate the distribution of certain publications and the exhibition and distribution of certain films, in the main by means of classification, the imposition of age restrictions and the giving of consumer advice, due regard being had to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic” (1996). The act, along with the amendments strive to protect children from exploitation and harm, for example outlawing child pornography and media that depicts and may cause mental and/or physical harm to a child.
According to guidelines set by the Film and Publication board in the 1996 Film and Publications Act, young children are those individuals younger than the age of ten. Preteens are those individuals between ages eleven to fifteen. Teenagers are classified between the age of sixteen and seventeen. Legally, adults are those older than the age of eighteen and therefore all individuals younger than the age of eighteen are deemed children by the constitution.
These classifications have come a long way and now cover a wider
Bibliography: Livingstone, Sonia. (2007) Do the media harm children? Journal of Children and Media, 1.1. Buckingham, David and Sara Bragg. (2004) Introduction.Young people, sex and the media: The facts of life? New York: Palgrave Macmillan. The Films and Publications Act (1996) and subsequent amendments (1999, 2004 and 2006 Bills) (Vula) Film and Publications Board. (2007) Classification guildelines http://www.fpb.gov.za/class_guide/CLASSIFICATION%20GUIDELINES%202007.pdf (Vula)