U.K. Intros Download Age Ratings

Britain is rolling out age ratings on downloaded video content and games. At the moment it's voluntary, and it may preclude the need for age legislation on downloadable video content.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is overseeing a new scheme, called BBFC.online, that will see downloadable video and game content in the UK given age ratings. The certificates will be on set-tops boxes, websites and portable players, and has already signed up major players like Fox, Disney and Warner Bros., and by month’s end around 1,000 videos will have certificates.

The plan is voluntary, but it’s hoped that it will attract enough participants to make legislation on age ratings unnecessary. Those who do join will have to employ "age verification or gate-keeping systems in place for parents to monitor and control underage viewing."

The system hasn’t yet included TV services like BBC’s iPlayer, but it’s hoped they and others will sign up, along with video games online services such as Xbox Live. However, some of that has yet to be co-ordinated between the BBFC and video game regulator Pegi, although it’s anticipated everything will work out smoothly.

The ratings won’t just be for show. They’ve been implement as a response to parental concerns, and they will be policed, according to BBFC’s head of policy, Peter Johnson:

"It’s up to individual systems to work out how to introduce these technologies. But we will police it through test purchases."
The scheme has already gained traction, and John said he expects the "leading content providers and aggregators to sign up to the scheme in the coming weeks and months. We are talking to everybody who is likely to be a significant player in this industry."