BBFC - Is "Universal"-rating a nightmare for working parents of CBeebies-age children?

[RemovedFromReality]

Just seen news about first ever complaint going into British Board of Film Classification about the Railway Children [ www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23270980 ]. I take the point; you doubtless will too.

+However+, aren't there more pressing issues? The BBFC claim U-rated films are suitable for children from age 4 upwards (subject to parental discretion). Hold on; isn't that "discretion" awfully similar to what the G of PG stands for?

If "The Empire Strikes Back" were broadcast on CBeebies, I reckon I'm safe in writing we'd all be up in arms about the severed hand, the unresolved traumas of the ending, the dark psycological journey of Luke, the betrayal of Lando... Not really stuff for 4 year olds.

But "The Empire Strikes Back" is U-rated. And CBeebies is for all ages (particularly ages 0 to 6 according to the recent BBC Trust consultation).

And so we, as parents of younger children are expected to spend hours pre-watching new U-rated movies to make sure there's not an "Empire Strikes Back" in there. Or run the risk of seemingly endless nights of the whole family suffering for the suffering child's nightmares; not to mention the effects in the days afterwards.

"Suitable for all" is what it says on the packet for U-rated films (and, one day, websites?): www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u

Well, now I +am+ the father, ... and I'm not impressed! Doctor Who on CBeebies? No. If the BBFC can introduce 12 and 12A, then they can sort things out lower down the age-spectrum too. And if that means less sales for "Monsters University" then so be it. My children can wait. They will be anyway; "Monsters Inc" caused enough problems!

But how about for you? How many better-spent hours have you spent pre-reviewing films for your children? Or resolving nightmares for your younger viewers? Do you feel the BBFC ought to be doing the reviewing job for you and all other parents of younger children (as it is nominally paid to) to save you time that would be better spent playing outside, making games, reading, working or doing other more constructive and productive things?

I am also genuinely baffled by the idea that the problem lies in being inundated with forrin ideas. Should I have stopped my DC watching My Neighbour Tortoro and insisted on Beowulf instead?

The OP has two simple solutions if she thinks that her DC is too young/sensitive to watch all and every U certificate film. Either research in detail, or, if time and resources do not allow that , restrict the DC to material strictly intended for the under 5s - CBeebies and DVDs of a similar level (very easily identified).

I agree that the working parents thing is silly - a SAHP doesn't have any additional time to pre-watch DVDs. It's not a particular WOHP issue at all - unless the plan is to go to work leave your 4 year old at home all day with a pre-loaded DVD player and some peanut butter sandwiches.

I don't know why I bother. your username is apt OP.

I think RemovedFromReality is a dad and is guilty of mainsplaining as well as his really strange go at TondelayoScharzkopf for not being English when she used an expression that was standard English .

If he is concerned about Under 6s watching films like Star Wars (any of them) during the day on mainstreem TV, then I suggest he supervise them a bit more closely - or hide the remote so that they can only watch age suitable CBeebies

Or should we ban the news and all potentially unsuitable programmes (like Match of the Day ) from BBC1 and BBC2? After all, any programme might have something unsuitable on it, as programming, even during the day, is not exclusively designed for Under 6s. To take his premise to its logical conclusion, I would have needed to pre-watch all the programmes across all the channels in order to ensure that my iddle biddle baby wouldn't risk seeing something that would scare them.

Seriously though, the answer to the question in his OP about How many better-spent hours have you spent pre-reviewing films for your children? Or resolving nightmares for your younger viewers? is NONE - at least it is in my case.

Oh yes, going back I see he is a bloke. I agree that there's a whiff of mansplaining.

Oops - I mistyped "mansplaining": I tried to over-ride the autocorrect but didn't quite sort it

But you got what I meant

Fascinating ladies. I shall await your further comments (in public) with interest.

Fascinating ladies. I shall await your further comments (in public) with interest.

Is that why you've PMed me then?

Evening.

Please do report any posts or PMs that you're worried about and we'll take a look.

Posts can be read by the world and his or her dog so it can be helpful to preview your message before you hit post.

MNHQ

Actually, the PMs are rather pathetic. Nothing that couldn't have been said (and challenged) on the open thread.

Not going to waste my energy replying to them - although I may do my first ever "red hand"

Damn, I thought my PM was speshul.

He's PMed everyone who responded to him I think. I reported the PM and blocked, then deleted it even though the PM was inane and just something a bit over wrought in tone, but that could easily have been openly posted on the thread. He was clearly trying to escalate even banal exchanges into an argument off thread. I merely directed him to further resources for his film vetting convenience :o, but he is clearly has a little private agenda, whatever it might be. It is odd that he has posed a silly blustering about nothing OP and then tried to take it to PM with everyone who responded sensibly, with reasonable advice on why this is a non issue, which is why I reported and blocked and am going to delete the thread from the "I'm on" so any further attempts to engage don't even come to my notice :o It just smells odd

Am I speshul 'cos I got two?!

.....must have really irritated him. Maybe it was the accusation of "mansplaining"

Damn it, I thought I was special!

I know prettybird, and she is very speshul.

I know I am repeating what others have said, but the BBFC can only provide GUIDANCE on the films they categorise - it is up to the parents to decide whether a particular film is or is not suitable for their particular child.

And I am sure that RemovedFromReality's tv has an off switch, which can be used if he decides that a film is not suitable for his child.

Finally 'to have a beef with someone/something' is an English phrase meaning to have a disagreement or difference of opinion or complaint with someone - and it long predates the Simpsons. Of course Removed will wish to apologise formhismborderline racist comment to TondelayoSchwarzkopf.

The hilarious thing SDTG is that I am a blonde, blue eyed Britisher from the middlest of middle England. What's his beef?

Well this +has+ been a lesson in perception manipulation folks! I think I merely complained about a couple of you using the term "mansplanation" (a term that is inherently gender-biased and insulting to all males); no other complaints. Is the term "womansplanation" not insulting? I judged "mansplanation to be similar. As a note, I also judge the term "manflu" to be a derogatory term. It is similar to the phrase "time of the month is it dear?". Ooh, I did ask you private message questions to save you blushes for your mistaken comments; sad you failed to reply privately or publicly.

All that addressed, if we are now +all+ ready to discuss like objective grown-ups who are not in any way lobbying for the BBFC, 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight or any other interested parties... let's continue with that lovely (if superficial) "off switch" argument from @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius:

At some stage each child needs to learn how to make choices for itself: take control of the TV. How do you plan to achieve that? How did you manage/educate_for "the transition" to self-discipline:

You might be a "chuck in at the 2-metre-end and see if they swim"-type of-parent who'll let your child stay up until 11pm, then turn on the TV for them, then direct them to a Freeview pornography channel and then see if they turn off or over (rather than stare at the things they still vaguely associate with milk) when something spiritually bad appears on the screen.

Alternatively, you may wish to gradually allow your child choice during daylight hours; and get shocked when they first start "channel flicking" and discover episodes from ITV's drama "Sherlock Holmes" that used to broadcast much later in the day (possibly after the watershed) featuring seeming-Satanism and paid-off fake priests conducting forced "weddings" to enable effective gunpoint rapes. You might then intercede; you might give them a selection of U-rated movies to choose from.

I'm not sure; you might suggest other options.

But then, media at home aside, you may be (or become) the kind of parent who discovers your 5 year-old has been shown a U-rated movie at Primary school as a reward; not one you'd really like them to have seen... yet.

Of course, all this presupposes the contributors are parents at all (rather than political polemicists, students out for a laugh, ....); but let's presuppose we are all parents.

:-)

P.S. Re having "a beef"; check this: www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whats%20your%20beef ... the definition in there does not really seem to be the kind of English spoken to HM QE II at Lords today and it's the Queen's English that counts. Do you think Her Majesty will have "beefs" or "concerns" about the films watched by her great grand-child when the time comes? I suspect she'll manage the second syllable; don't you?

P.P.S. Thank you @katese11; good PM response (I assume PM means "Private Message"; not "David Cameron").

First viewing of a film with my kids (just turned 3 and 5) I always sit with them remote control at the ready in case we need to do a quick fast forwards. Sometimes they are freaked out by things that to me seem benign and vice versa nonplussed by something I think will bother them. My son had nightmares after Tangled but when you think about it a baby stolen by a witch and locked in a tower is the stuff of nightmares. Generally I find U a good guide. Be great to have more films for a very young audience. Studio Ghibli films (Ponyo, Totoro, Kiki) are perfect for pre-school age kids. Not all though. I put on Princes Mononoke and someone had their arm slashed off in the first 10 minutes. My son begged to watch it. That one can wait a few years.