The survey was carried out by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service (TSS) to test how well retailers are complying with the law on under-age sales of DVDs and games.
The TSS supervised the visits of a twelve year old boy to a range of outlets which sold DVDs and games. The premises visited included major high street retailers, supermarkets, convenience stores and small independent outlets.
The survey showed that in one out of three shops the 12 year old was able to buy DVDs intended for sale only to 15 or 18 year olds. In the worst examples he was sold DVDs which are classified as being for sale only to those aged 18 or over because of their violent content, two of these being the notorious “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and the disturbing “Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Killer”.
The Video Recordings Act 1984 makes it a criminal offence to supply DVDs and some computer games to a person below the age specified in the classification label.
Kevin McNamara from TSS said, “It is unacceptable that a 12 year old should be able to get his hands on some of the titles that were purchased in the course of this survey. While many of the premises visited have good systems in place to prevent such under-age sales happening, it is obvious that some other traders are not so diligent. As a result of our findings we will be warning those traders who have breached the law and carrying out follow-up visits.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The Video Recordings Act 1984 regulates the supply of videos works, which includes videos and DVDs to the public. Unless specifically exempted by the Act, they have to be legally classified by the British Board of Film Classification. They must then be labelled in accordance with the specific requirements of the Video Recordings (Labelling) Regulations 1985. The Act creates a number of offences. Section 11 of the Act makes it a criminal offence for a retailer to supply or offer to supply a video work to a person below the age specified in the classification.
The Act and the Regulations made under it are enforced in Northern Ireland by the Trading Standards Service of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
2. Under the Video Recordings (Labelling) Regulations 1985, the classification label must include specific wording, which includes reference to the fact that the work is not to be supplied to a person below the age displayed by the classification symbol. For example, in the case of an 18 classification, the symbol must be accompanied by the wording, “Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over. Not to be supplied to any person below that age.”
3. The survey was conducted between 16 and 23 August 2007. The survey included visits to a range of premises in Belfast, Lisburn, Lurgan, Portadown, Craigavon and Banbridge. In all, 33 premises were visited and it was found that in 11 of those premises either a DVD or game bearing an 18 or 15 classification label was sold to a 12 year old boy.
4. Some games are exempted from the requirements of the Video Recordings Act. However, they can lose that exemption, for example, if they contain violence against realistic human figures. There is also a voluntary pan-European rating system, the PEGI system, which can be applied to games which are exempted from the requirements of the Act. However, all the games purchased in the survey carried either the 18 or 15 BBFC classification labels.
5. For media enquiries please contact Margaret Mathieson in the DETI Press Office, telephone 028 9052 9611.
6. Outside office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
