Which restrictions are there for children/teens to visit public film screenings?

Which restrictions are there for children/teens to visit public film screenings?
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Belgium

There’s a commission that judges if a movie is for -16 or +16.

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Bulgaria

As a principle children and young people can visit public film screenings, but some restrictions exist concerning the content of the film. According to the Child Protection Act, parents are obliged to accompany their children or to provide responcible full age person to accompany their children to 16 years of age on public places after 22.00 o’clock. Depending on the content of the shown product (a motion picture or theatre), there is arestriction respectively: until 12, until 16 or until 18 years of age, where persons under the stated age are not allowed regardless of being accompanied by a full age person.

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Denmark

A media council recommends the movies as followed:

  • The movie is recommended for all
  • The movie is recommended for all, unless the child is younger than 7 years
  • The movie is recommended  for children above 11 years
  • The movie is recommended for children above 15 years.

All public film screenings are allowed for children older than 7 years, when they are accompanied by their parents or other adults.

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Germany

There are age ratings for films and time limits for visits to theaters.
(§ § 11 and 14 JuSchG).

§ 14 Labelling of films and film and play programs

(1) Films and movie programs that are appropriate to impact the development of children and young people or their upbringing to become a responsible and socially competent person should not be approved for their age group.

(2) The supreme state authority or an organization of voluntary self-regulation under the procedure referred to in paragraph 6 indicates the films and movie programs with

1. suitable for all ages;

2. suitable for six years;

3. suitable for twelve years;

4. suitable for sixteen years;

5. not suitable for minors or young people

§ 11 .3 ... allowed to attend public film events are only allowed to accompany a person with custody or person responsible for education

1. children below the age of six years;

2. children as of six years at performances finished later than 8 p.m.;

3. adolescents below the age of 16 years at performances finished after 10 p.m.;

4. adolescents as of 16 years at performances lasting beyond midnight.

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Estonia


The law prohibits the showing and distribution of films with pornographic content, violence and cruelty to minors under 18 years of age. The age restrictions are set by the film distributors and public cinemas. 

The restrictions vary depending on the content of the film: forbidden under 12 years, under 14 years or under 16 years. Age restrictions do not apply if minors are accompanied by adults.

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Finland

Audiovisual Programmes supplied in Finland must be classified unless exempt from classification. An audiovisual programme detrimental to the development of children shall be classified with an age limit of 7, 12, 16 or 18, depending on the programme’s content, and be given a symbol that describes the detrimental programme content.

A programme can be publicly exhibited to a person at the most three years younger than the age limit of 7, 12 or 16 given to the programme if the child is accompanied by a person aged 18 or more. This rule doesn't apply to films labeled 18. (Act on Audiovisual Programmes 710/2011). 

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France

According to article 4 decree nr. 2001-618 of 12th July 2001, the minister of culture allocate the classification for releasing a film judged by a classification committee. This classification system is described in article 19 of the Code on film industry.There are four different labels of public film screenings:

a) No age limit

b) The movie is recommended for children above 12 years

c) The movie is recommended for children above 16 years

d) Strictly not suitable for minors

By way of derogation from article 3, the minister of culture may allowed public film screeningsfor non-commercial purposes on the assessment of the relevant council applied by the head of an institution to be organized at schools and universitiesfor the purpose of education (art. 21).

The cinema owner is responsible for proving children’ s age verification. If they do not observe the law, they will be amerce according to decree nr. 92-445 concerning the access of minors to cinemas.

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United Kingdom

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is responsible for issuing films with certificates according to their content.

The categories are: U (universal – suitable for all), PG (parental guidance – general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children), 12A (12 and over, but younger if accompanied by parent), 12 (12 and over), 15 (15 and over), 18 (18 and over), R18 (restricted 18 - to be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years).

A media council recommends the movies as followed:

  • The movie is recommended for all
  • The movie is recommended for all, unless the child is younger than 7 years
  • The movie is recommended  for children above 11 years
  • The movie is recommended for children above 15 years.

All public film screenings are allowed for children older than 7 years, when they are accompanied by their parents or other adults.

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Greece

The Youth Committee classifies each film under the following categories:

a) Suitable for Minors

b) Restricted suitable for minors (from 14)

c) Unsuitable for minors (from 17)

d) Strictly not suitable for minors

Act 1597/1986, art. 36 part. 1 based on Act 1481/1994 Protection and development of film art, the promotion of Greek film production and other settlements

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Ireland

There are different levels:

  • G general provided for pupils
  • PG public general
  • 12a over 12 years. Among 12-year old will be admitted when accompanied by adults.
  • 15a over 15 years. Among 15 year old will be admitted when accompanied by adults.
  • 16 over 16 years
  • 18 from 18 years
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Italy

In accordance with Decree No. 2029 of the President of the Republic of 11 November 1963, an implementing ordinance for Act No. 161 of 21 April 1962 on the review of films and theatrical performances, films and theatrical works are to be deemed prohibited for minors even if they do not represent violations of bonos mores (in accordance with Article 6 of the Act) if they contain vulgar remarks or gestures, indulge in immoral behavior, show erotic or violent scenes featuring people or animals or scenes showing surgical procedures or hypnotic and mediumistic phenomena, if the latter are presented in particularly vivid form, as well as films and theatrical performances which incite hatred or feelings of revenge, which present criminal acts in such a way as to encourage imitation or which present suicide in a suggestive manner. There are access restrictions for the projection and viewing of films and theatrical works for children under the age of 14 and 18 years based on Act No. 161 of 21 April 1962, Review of Films and Theatrical Performances, as well as subsequent amendments (Decree No. 3 of 8 January 1998). These restrictions are determined from time to time by an ad-hoc commission which exercises "censorial" authority.

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Croatia

In Croatia, general regulations regarding the protection of minors in this field are specified in the Act on Audiovisual Activities. Furthermore, the Croatian Audiovisual Center adopted the Ordinance on Classification of Audiovisual Works, which regulates the procedure for rating audiovisual works (films) and their marking (the categories are: all ages, 12, 15, and 18) with regard to their suitability for different age group, to protect minors from the contentinappropriate for their age. ln practice, it serves to alert parents of potentially unsuitable material for children, as there is no formal monitoring and control regarding the access to public film screenings.
In addition, it is prohibited to distribute, sell or rent to the minors videogames whose category is inappropriate for their age. More information on the implementation of regulations relating to the protection of children and young people from audiovisual content can be obtained from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, by e-mail: info@havc.hr. 
Pursuant to the Criminal Code (Art. 165), whoever to a child under the age of fifteen sells, gives a gift, presents or publicly displays, by means of a computer system, network or media for the storage of computer data or in some other way makes accessible the files, pictures, audio-visual content or other objects of pornographic content or shows him or her a pornographic performance shall be punished by imprisonment (six months to five years).

 

 

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Latvia

It is prohibited to show, sell, give as a gift, rent or promote to a child toys and video recordings, computer games, newspapers, magazines and other types of publications, in which cruel behavior, violence, erotica and pornography are promoted and which pose a threat to the psychological development of a child.

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Lithuania

All programs, TV shows and movies that contain or disseminate information adversely affecting children/teens must be indexed according to the law and broadcasted at appropriate times. Programs, movies and shows:
1) must be marked with an "S" index and broadcast between 11 pm and 6 am when the provided information/their content has a negative impact on minors;
2) must be marked with the index "N-14" and broadcast between 9 pm and 6 am, when the provided information/their content has a negative impact on children under 14 years of age;
3) must be marked with the index "N-7" when the provided information/their content has a negative impact on children under 7 years of age. 

 

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Luxembourg

In theory, minors under the age of 17 are prohibited from entering public film performances in accordance with the Act of 13 June 1922 on Public Film Performances. However, this prohibition does not apply for family and children's films. A monitoring commission was to be responsible for determining which films should be classified as family and children's films. However, such a commission was never formed. In practice, the film industry regulates itself, i.e. the film distributor recommends an age restriction which is generally enforced by cinemas. However, there is no statutory basis for these recommendations.

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Malta

Films are divided into the following categories:

· U: persons of all ages admitted;

· PG: persons of all ages admitted, but very young children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian;

· 12: persons aged 12 and up admitted;

· 16: persons aged 16 and up admitted;

· 18: persons aged 18 and up admitted.

This means that persons below the age indicated in each category may not be admitted to the film (Vide Subsidiary Legislation 10/17).

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Netherlands

There are no legal restrictions for young people to visit cinema’s. It is up to the parents and to cinema-owners to decide which films are suitable for children or not. In the Netherlands there is a system of information, which classifies films for their suitability for certain age-groups. This system, called “Kijkwijzer” (roughly translates as “Look smart”), is jointly operated by the audio-visual branch itself (see http://www.kijkwijzer.nl/index.php for more information)

Based on Article 240a, children under the age of 16 will not be allowed access to a cinematographic film with the age limit “16”. Neither when accompanied by an adult. Identification may be requested. For movies with other age limits, children under the age limit are only allowed under the guidance of an adult.

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Austria

Minors are allowed to watch all films that are permitted for their age group. The cinema operators provide information about the respective age restrictions in the cinema, the cinema programs and on the Internet. The law defines the following age ratings:

  • approved without age restriction
  • approved for age 6
  • approved for age 8
  • approved for age 10
  • approved for age 12
  • approved for age 14
  • approved for age 16

Approved for age 18 is only in Burgenland. Accompaniment by a parent or a person responsible for supervision does not override the legal age ratings. In addition, the constraint applies that the film must end at a time when the minor is permitted to be in public places (see above No. 2). There are exceptions to the possible undershooting of the age restrictions in the Vienna Events Act § 34, Styrian Cinema Act § 14 and Tyrolean Events Act § 21.

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Poland

Polish law imposes restrictions on film attendance. These restrictions relate to the age of the attendee, and films are divided into the following categories: no restrictions, 12 years and up, 16 years and up and 18 years and up. Under the Cinematography Act (Official Journal 2003, No. 58 Item 513), the minister responsible for cultural affairs determines the direction of activity and development in cinematography and the guidelines for film institutions with respect to production, editing and distribution.

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Portugal

Children and young people are allowed to visit public film-screenigs. There are different levels:

· from 4

· from 6

· from12

· from 16

· from 18

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Romania

There is still no information

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Sweden

There are a number of different age limits for watching public film screenings. These are seven, eleven, fifteen and eighteen years. You can find more information at the Statens biografbyrå website www.statensbiografbyra.se which is the Film Censorship in Sweden.

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Slovakia

Programs or other service components, which could endanger the physical, mental or moral development of minors or affect their mental health and emotional state, may not be broadcasted in time from 6.00 pm to 22.00 pm.On the basis of classification of programs according to age appropriateness of service broadcaster is obliged to protect minors to introduce and apply a uniform system of marking.

A uniform labeling system is a classification system for audiovisual works, sound recordings of performances, multimedia works and programs, or other components of service age appropriateness in terms of their unapproachable , suitability or unsuitability for age group of minors to 7, 12, 15 or 18 years. The operator of audiovisual technical equipment is required to ensure that audiovisual performances in the cinema or in any other publicly accessible area of the age appropriateness of the disclosure by the manufacturer or distributor of audiovisual works of audiovisual works.

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Slovenia

When it comes to minors going to see a film in a cinema, there is age restriction. Children under 15 years of age are not allowed to see movies with inappropriate contents, such as violence or pornography.

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Spain

Spanish law establishes five categories of films:

suitable for everyone, PG-7, PG-12, PG-16, suitable only for adults.

These categories also apply for television programs and films. Cinemas must prohibit entrance to children alone if they are under recommended age, but permit entrance to children accompanied by parents or legal guardians.

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Czech Republic

There is no legislation. Parents are responsible for their children.

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Hungary

There are five categories in Hungary:

· No age limit

· Under 12 years only under the supervision of an adult

· For under 16 years old not suitable

· For 18 years old not suitable

· For adults only

· The operator of cinemas are responsible for compliance with these age restrictions.

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Cyprus

There is a age delimitation: 16 years.

All movies, before projection on screen are rated by a committee, and according to the rating children/teens are allowed or not allowed to enter the film screening.