Videos, DVDs And Computer Games
 The Video Recordings Act 1984It is an offence to supply, or offer to supply, a video recording to any person who has not attained the age specified on the recording. This legislation applies to video films, video games, computer games and DVDs.
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It is a defence to show that you neither knew or had reasonable grounds to believe that:
- the classification certificate contained the statement in relation to the specified age, or
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the person concerned had not attained the specified age.
The Classifications are as follows:
| ABBREVIATION | CLASSIFICATION | ONLY TO BE SOLD TO: |
|---|---|---|
| U | Universal | Unrestricted |
| Uc | Universal – particularly suitable for children | Unrestricted |
| PG | Parental Guidance – general viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children | Unrestricted |
| 12 | Suitable only for persons 12 years and over | 12 years and over |
| 15 | Suitable only for persons 15 years and over | 15 years and over |
| 18 | Suitable only for persons 18 years and over | 18 years and over |
It is illegal to supply R18 restricted videos other than in licensed sex shops.
Videos/DVDs do not have to be classified if:
The material on the video/DVD, taken as a whole is:
- designed to be informative, educational or instructive.
- concerned with sport, music or religion.
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a video game.
However, if the material depicts, or is designed to stimulate, human sexual activity or violence towards humans or animals then it is not exempt.
Penalties
There are ranges of penalties contained in the Video Recordings Act. Failure to comply could result in seizure of goods and prosecution.
On conviction for the most serious aspects, e.g., supplying or possessing for supply, unclassified works or supplying to persons under age, the courts may impose a fine of up to £20,000, up to 2 years imprisonment or both.