Government to review adult VOD controls

The government has said that strict controls to prevent children from accessing hardcore adult material through video on-demand services will be reviewed and potentially strengthened.

Rules are already in place which mean legal videos designated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as having an 18 rating, including pornography, can only be offered on VOD services if there are controls in place to stop children from watching them, such as pin protection. This approach mirrors the restrictions on hardcore pornographic DVDs, which can only be purchased by adults in licensed sex shops.

In light of a recent Ofcom report advising a "precautionary" approach to protecting children online, the government has committed to securing the present controls, while also investigating whether laws should be toughened as part of a review of communications policy.

The review will look at the availability of 18-rated adult VOD, and complement the recommendations made by Reg Bailey in his independent review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.

Yesterday, the communications minister Ed Vaizey said: "The government is clear that children must be protected from harmful content, on television or online. We have made it a priority to address the concerns of parents that their kids are being exposed to material that's not appropriate for them to see.

"Without a doubt we want to make sure that video on-demand services carrying adult material cannot be seen by children and it's already a legal requirement that any such content has access controls.

"But the communications review gives us an opportunity to consider whether there's more we should do to ensure children remain protected and to limit access to potentially harmful material, such as introducing unclassified material into the statutory framework."

The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD) is the independent regulator for VOD services, which enforces regulations on any material that could be damaging to children.

In response to the government announcement, ATVOD chief executive Pete Johnson said: "This support for light-touch but effective regulation is welcome, helping answer the concerns of many parents about effective protection of their children.

"While we believe the current law provides sound foundation for the enforcement of our rules, the clarification provided by the minister should remove any uncertainties.

"As a co-regulator working with industry, we will be re-emphasising the need for access controls and will work with the adult industry to ensure effective controls are in place. We also look forward to working with government during the review of communications policy."

In May, Playboy lost its bid to make two 'hardcore' adult video websites exempt from UK VOD regulation, after Ofcom ruled in favour of fellow watchdog ATVOD.

The adult entertainment giant had tried to argue that the sites did not fall within the scope of regulation as their video material was too explicit to be judged 'TV-like', but Ofcom rejected the appeal.