How well does contemporary media regulation protect the public?

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How well does contemporary media regulation protect the public?


Regulation is the control and protection of young and vulnerable people in society. The film industry is regulated by the BBFC, with television being regulated by OFCOM and social media being self-regulated.
In the past regulators were very harsh and critical of media, often banning and or offering extensive cuts to make the media more conducive to their guidelins. The BBFC often banned films, for example The Evil Dead.

The BBFC are a non-statutory regulating body that regulate proactively. The body will watch the film before release and deliver an age classification. They may also offer cuts and/or changes to be made in the film for the film to be released. The application of age classifications allows the film to be viewed by the appropriate audiences to minimise risk inappropriate content being viewed. Previous, the BBFC would ban films they deemed to seem unsuitable. Gradually they moved away from being the British Board of Film Censorship, to Classification. Subsequently, in the modern age, it is becoming increasingly easy for people stream and watch movies online. This allows younger or more vulnerable people to bypass the age certifications and watch films not appropriate for them.

 Over the years, audiences have become more desensitised towards media. Graphic images of blood sex and drugs does not produce the same amount of controversy. Being exposed to excessive amounts of media have made audiences more liberal to what some may deem inappropriate media.

Likewise, OFCOM regulate reactively, relying on comments and complaints from viewers. They are a statutory body, meaning they are a part of the government. OFCOM can fine networks that violate their rules and regulations, allowing them to scapegoat, setting an example to other networks. The Benefit Street programme that was released in 2014 received 1800 complaints, although no action was taken as no discriminatory laws were broken. So, while this offended some viewers, the programme continues to air.

 Furthermore, social media, requires self-regulation. Users are required to regulate what they are watching and report offensive or obscene content. For example, viewers were required to flag a video made mb YouTuber Logan Paul. His video included images of sucide, which younger viewers found upsetting.

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