Cautionary notes

Some products, although approved as non-violent media, contain other aspects that parents may wish to know about before deciding to hire or buy them. The cautionary notes we have used are listed here, with a definition, in alphabetical order:

Accidental harm

A character sustains some kind of bodily harm accidentally, such as when a child might trip and hurt him/herself. This might upset some more sensitive children.

Body Image

Could promote an unhealthy pre-occupation with body image. This could be problematic for some children, particularly girls, creating issues with low self-esteem.

Distressing scenes

Includes scenes that might scare children and scenes showing children and/or animals in danger. This could cause distress to some children.

Early Sexualisation

Children are shown in sexualised, age-inappropriate ways. Child development experts agree that the early sexualisation of children can harm children’s sexual development and have a negative impact on their physical and psychological health. It can also send a message to adults that sexualising children is acceptable and can contribute to the increasing rates of child abuse.

Off-screen violence

The result of a violent action is shown but not the action itself, such as a hurt or injured character. This might upset some children.

Predatory animal behaviour

Animals hunt and kill other animals for food.  This could cause distress to some children.

Risk of imitative behaviour

Characters behave in a manner that parents might not want their children to copy, such as risk-taking behaviour, lying to parents, etc. This could be problematic for some children.

Slapstick comedy

Acts of exaggerated, physical and fake violence are shown for a comedic effect. This could be problematic for some children, as research shows that children under 7 have a problem differentiating between what is real and what is not real.

Supernatural Themes

Supernatural phenomena such as ghosts, sprites and entities that are considered to be outside of normal realms. This could be disturbing for some children.

Unhealthy Foods

Unhealthy foods such as fast, fatty, sugary and salty foods are featured. This could contribute to the problem of childhood obesity and being overweight.

Verbal violence

Characters speak to each other in a disrespectful manner, including name calling, and put-downs.