NZ families using age ratings and content warnings

Kirikiriroa - New Zealand families value age ratings and content warnings, but many aren’t using parental controls on streaming services, new research from Te Mana Whakaatu – Classification Office shows.

It’s really heartening new this research shows people value having NZ-specific ratings and warnings, and parents and caregivers are using that information to make the right decisions for their households.

The Office says there is the opportunity for people to use parental controls on streaming platforms. These can include features such as requiring passwords for some content or having different profiles for children based on their age.

It is launching a new webpage today to help whānau use the tools to support parents to protect their tamariki from watching inappropriate or harmful content.

The key findings in the report include:

• 84 percent thought age ratings were important when deciding what tamariki and rangatahi should watch, and most people understood them

• New Zealanders are seeing these on streaming services: a majority had seen official New Zealand ratings on Netflix (57 percent) and Disney (52 percent), the two most popular services

• Over half of parents and caregivers with tamariki and rangatahi at home (53 percent) said they or someone in their household uses parental controls for streaming services. Around a third of parents said they did not use parental controls, and 11 percent were unsure

• Streaming services have been implementing new requirements to display New Zealand age ratings this year and New Zealanders are noticing them, including a majority of those using the most popular streaming services

New Zealanders can also use parental controls to give them peace of mind about what their kids are watching, and we have pulled together some guidance to help.

The research found New Zealanders were concerned about tamariki and rangatahi seeing harmful content and thought it was hard to protect tamariki online. It was common for people of all ages to see harmful content online, and New Zealanders supported regulation of harmful online content.

Meanwhile, Barnardos says the 2022 Child Poverty Monitor released today reports concerning findings of Māori, Pacific and disabled tamariki still being disproportionately impacted by poverty in Aotearoa.

These findings echo the reality and ongoing inequalities Barnardos sees every day with many whānau across the motu.

The report, jointly published by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, Otago University and the JR McKenzie Trust, identifies that, while at a national level there has been progress toward the child poverty reduction targets, specific groups of tamariki and their whānau are still left behind.