MEDIA RELEASE -
Star Wars merchandising undermines M classification

12 May 2005

Jane Roberts, President of the Australian Council for Children and the Media, trading as Young Media Australia (YMA), today condemned the marketing of Star Wars merchandise to young children. “The merchandise, aimed at young children, and available well before the movie is released or even classified, leads children and their parents to believe that the movie is going to be suitable for children. In the case of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith , this is definitely not the case. Young children are being put at risk, and our movie classification system is being undermined.”

Elizabeth Handsley, YMA's Vice President, also deplored the message being sent to young children by marketers: “Young Media Australia fully supports the OFLC's M15+ rating, that is, not recommended for children under the age of fifteen. The movie has some very strong content and themes, and powerful and disturbing images that could do real harm to children who are exposed to them.”

She continued: “The job of parents is made so much more difficult because children have built up an expectation that they will be able to see this movie, and saying no can be difficult. However, in the case of this movie, YMA advises that saying ‘no' is the best option for parents, or “You will enjoy this movie more when you are older.” . I strongly recommend that parents at least read YMA's full movie review of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith before making any decision.” Further information is available on the YMA website (www.youngmedia.org.au).

YMA, a not-for-profit organisation, is a unique national body whose members share a strong commitment to the promotion of the healthy development of Australian children, with a particular interest in the role the media plays in that development. It is committed to promoting better choices and providing stronger voices in children's media.

YMA established the national freecall Young Media Australia Helpline (1800 700 357) and Website (www.youngmedia.org.au) services in July 2002. Both services provide information and advice to parents, caregivers and the general community about the impact of the media on children. Total contacts for the combined services are now more than 400,000 and are growing steadily.

For more information or to arrange an interview,
please call Jane Roberts (WA) on 0410 509 685, or
Elizabeth Handsley (SA) on 08 8201 5256 (bus.) or 08 8272 1170 (h)