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June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
Previous months can be found in the Archives
June 2008
New rules for advertising films, computer games
The Classification (Publications, Films And Computer Games) Amendment (Assessments and Advertising) Bill 2008
was passed by the Senate on 24 June 2008 with bipartisan support.
National classification rules now cover advertising of films, television programs and computer games on the internet.The current prohibition on advertising unclassified films and computer games will be replaced, but with controls to prevent violent or other mature-age content from being advertised during movies with a lower classification.
The legislation also extends the definition of advertisement to explicitly include the internet but to exclude "product merchandising" such as clothing.
The Classification (Publications, Films And Computer Games) Amendment (Assessments and Advertising) Bill 2008 also introduces an industry self-assessment scheme for films or TV programs released as boxed DVD sets.
Family First Senator Steve Fielding expressed concern about the effectiveness of the self-regulation scheme, saying there had been recent examples of TV programs being rated PG when broadcast, but then rated M when released as a boxed set. YMA shares this concern.
Why computers may not be good for us
One of Britain's leading brain scientists, Susan Greenfield, is expressing concern about the way new technology is changing our thought patterns and behaviour. Her fears are voiced in her new book, ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century, published by Sceptre. To read an article in The Australian about this, go to http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23858718-30417,00.html
Prince Caspian: not just a pretty story
The newly released movie Prince Caspian is distinctly child-unfriendly, says Young Media Australia. YMA’s child-friendly movie reviewers who create the popular Know Before You Go movie reviews have found that ‘The film is based on the timeless and beautifully crafted children’s story by C. S. Lewis, but has been made unsuitable for children by violence which is continuous from beginning to end.”
To read the full press release in PDF format click here
To read an article from The Independent on the success of children's films, go to:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/revealed-how-to-make-your-movie-a-box-office-smash-842662.html
May 2008
David Jones drops case
David Jones Ltd has dropped its case against The Australia Institute and its former executive director Clive Hamilton over the institute's 2006 paper Corporate paedophilia -- sexualising children by advertising and marketing.
To read more about this on the Crikey website go to http://www.crikey.com.au/Business/20080507-DJs-drops-corporate-paedophilia-case.html
April 2008
Advertising to Children Code update released
The Australian Association of National Advertisers has released the updated Advertising to Children Code. The Code has been renamed the AANA Code for Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children to more accurately reflect the scope of the Code, which will now capture new and emerging media.
To read an article in The Sydney Morning Herald about the new code go to
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/04/16/1208025283087.html
March 2008
Current Senate inquiries
The Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts is currently looking at two important issues which have impact on the effects of the media on children:
http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/girls_positive_image/
R-rated games available soon?
Update April 2008: The meeting of federal, state and territory ministers in the Barossa Valley in South Australia has agreed there should be a public consultation process on the classification of video games.
To read an ABC news item on this decision, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/28/2202059.htm
The next Standing Committee of attorneys-general (SCAG) meeting on March 28 will discuss the possibility of updating the classification system for video games to include an R18+ rating. Unlike the situation with films, magazines and other publications, there is at present no adult classification for games in Australia. Any titles that do not meet the MA15+ standard - such as those with excessive violence or sexual content - are banned from sale by the Classification Board. The possibility that this type of material being available for purchase raises concerns about it being accessible by children and adolescents.
To read the YMA submission to the Hon. Bob Debus on the subject of R18+ classified games in PDF format, click here.
To read an article in The Sydney Morning Herald about this go to:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/violence-and-sex-may-get-thumbs-up/2008/02/22/1203467345267.html
To read the American Psychological Associations position on violent video games in PDF format click here
To read an article by Craig Anderson and Douglas Gentile, entitled Media Violence, Aggression, and
Public Policy, in PDF format, click here
To read an article by John Murray on Video Game Violence in PDF format click here.
New research - Australian online survey of video game use
A team of researchers headed by Dr Vladan Starcevic, Associate Professor at the Discipline of Psychological Medicine, University of Sydney are currently investigating patterns of video game use, both online and offline. According to team member Dr Guy Porter, they are particularly interested in the characteristics and impact of excessive video game use.
Media reports and existing research suggest that a considerable number of video game users play for such extended periods of time that they suffer various detrimental psychosocial consequences. Many of these negative effects, in some cases, are similar to the negative effects resulting from pathological gambling and substance dependence. Indeed, for some individuals the compulsive behaviours centred around playing certain video games appears to resemble a syndrome of 'addiction' or 'problem use'.
However the acceptance of 'problem video game use' as a mental disorder remains controversial with much research needed as well as ethical and medico-legal considerations.
In order to investigate the issue further the team are currently running an anonymous online survey for video game users to complete. The survey assesses basic demographics, patterns of video game use, and includes a selection of questions to assess the person's mental state over the last week. The project is not for profit and has received ethics committee approval by The University of Sydney.
The researchers would like parents to be aware of the project - the survey may provide an opportunity to discuss the issue with children who could participate if they are old enough (the minimum age is 14).
The link to the survey is:
http://www.nepean.med.usyd.edu.au/research/psych.php#res
Baby Einstein videos no longer being marketed by Disney as educational
As a result of the US based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood's Federal Trade Commission complaint, the Baby Einstein website has been completely redesigned and is no longer making educational claims about its DVDs and videos. In 2006, CCFC filed a complaint against the Disney-owned company for making false and deceptive claims about the educational value of their products. In December, the FTC decided not to take enforceable action against Baby Einstein when the company promised to "take appropriate steps to ensure that any future advertising claims of educational and/or developmental benefit for children are adequately substantiated." Since no substantiation exists, Disney will not be able to claim that the videos have educational value.
To read more, go to the CCFC website at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/
February 2008
SA government moves to ban junk food advertising
The South Australian Government is set to ban junk food advertising in
childrens viewing times after receiving legal advice that it is possible to
enforce the ban on a state level.
To read an ABC Radio National transcript about this go to http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2158391.htm
To read a response to this announcement from a number of experts on the Australian Science Media Centre website, go to: http://www.aussmc.org.au/JunkFoodTVBan.php
January 2008
A children's channel: not good for kids?
In the Sydney Morning Herald on 22 January 2008, two long time advocates for quality children's TV Patricia Edgar and Barbara Biggins argue that there are better ways to meet children's needs for relevant, quality and non-exploitative media for children than spending $82m on a children's digital TV channel.
To read their article go to http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/21/1200764168300.html
To read a fuller version of the Edgar and Biggins piece in PDF format click here.
Young Media Australia believes that there are further arguments against a children's digital channel, and urgent examination of all these issues is needed.
Some of these issues include:
- Will $82m over 4 yrs (the Howard Govt election promise) produce enough quality content to fill 12 hrs a day, without the channel having to resort to branding, and product linked programming, and providing yet another avenue for marketing to children?
- Do children need a 12 hrs a day channel, even if it were all quality content? School children will be at school for 5 days of the week. How will it benefit preschoolers to have access to preschool programs for most of the school day, most of which will be product linked?
- If the ABC has a backlog of good old programs for children why can't it show them now instead of its many product linked programs- some of which have very poor and irrelevant story lines
- Even if it's convenient for parents, is it good for children to be off in their own rooms, watching their own channel, and decreasing family interaction?
- Won't such a channel increase the pressures for commercial channels to be rid of their responsibilities to children?
- Isn't what we really need, quality programming for children (that keeps up with their expanded range of interest in multi media) which is also able to be enjoyed by their families, shown in prime time across a number of channels, and preferably without ads?
To read a response to the Edgar and Biggins article by Jenny Buckland, Chief Executive, Australian Children's Television Foundation and Kim Dalton, director of ABC Television, entitled " Lot of mileage left in children's broadcasting, whatever critics say" , in PDF format, click here.
Barbara Biggin's letter in response to this letter reads as follows:
The Editor
The Sydney Morning Herald
Dear Sir,
Neither of us (Tricia Edgar and Barbara Biggins) wants to see the ABC not get support for its children’s programs (Buckland and Dalton, Letters 25/1/08). We are both strong supporters of the need for the ABC to be well funded to supply relevant and independent information and entertainment for the whole community.
However, what we see is creeping, nay galloping, commercialization of the ABC’s children’s programs. Such commercialization seems not to be necessary for adults to get quality programs.
Barbara Biggins OAM
Former Convenor of SA and National ABC Advisory Councils
To read more about changes to personnel, channel names and the logo at the ABC, follow the links below
http://report.mediaspy.org/index.php/blog/2008/01/29/new-appointments-for-abc-childrens-tv/
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,23129700-10229,00.html
TV puts British children to sleep
In Britain, 80 per cent of children aged five to 16-years-old have a television in their bedrooms and 63% lie in bed watching the screen (rising to almost three-quarters of 13 to 16-year-olds).
Also, more than half watch television while they're eating dinner.
These figures come from an annual survey of around 1,100 children done by the ChildWise market research company in the UK. Their latest survey found evidence from Britain that children are spending more and more of their lives in front of an electronic screen and far less time outdoors.
Between television and computers, British children are, on average, in front of an electronic screen of one sort or another for more than five hours a day.
To read more about ChildWise and the survey go to http://www.childwise.co.uk/monitor.htm
To read an article in the Guardian about the survey, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/16/television.socialnetworking
To read a transcript of a radio interview with Rosemary Duff, the Research Director of ChildWise, go to http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s2142595.htm
Previous months can be found in the Archives.
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