Adult-Themed Show Promos During Family Film Exposed Children To Potential Harm

The airing of promos for adult-themed shows during family movie Scoob! potentially exposed children to unsuitable content and breached broadcasting standards, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found.

The Authority found Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) was correct to uphold a complaint that three promos broadcast during the film on Three breached the offensive and disturbing content and children’s interests standards, but the broadcaster took insufficient action to address the breach.

Animated children’s film Scoob! was broadcast on Three between 7pm and 9pm on 29 March 2024 (Good Friday), and classified PG-VL (Parental Guidance recommended; with audience advisories for violence and language). During the ad breaks, promos aired for:

• Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a documentary on abuse of child actors and staff at Nickelodeon, classified M-LSC (Mature audiences; language, sexual content, content may offend);
• Paper Dolls, a fictional programme following five young pop singers, rated 16-LS (People under 16 should not view; language, sexual content); and
• The Playboy Murders, a true crime show investigating murders that intersect with Playboy, rated M-VLS (Mature audiences; violence, language, sexual content).

The BSA found that, viewed cumulatively, the promos went beyond expectations of the host programme and its classification. Scheduling them during Scoob! meant the broadcaster did not enable child viewers to be protected from potentially unsuitable content.

Broadcasters are required to consider children’s interests in scheduling promos for adult programmes during children’s normally accepted viewing times and during shows aimed at child viewers. Promos should comply with the classification of the programme during which they screen.

The BSA agreed with WBD’s decision to uphold the original complaint but found its subsequent actions – including apologising to the complainant and their whānau and talking to its promo scheduling team “to ensure appropriate care is taken in future with any similar content” – were insufficient.

The Authority did not impose orders, however, finding publication of the decision was sufficient to publicly notify and remedy the breach and to provide guidance to WBD and other broadcasters.

“The cumulative effect of the three promos – which contained mature, and some sinister, themes – would have been outside audience expectations for Scoob! and its PG-VL classification, meaning the audience was not able to exercise adequate choice and control over their viewing, in particular for children in the audience.

“We consider the conduct was moderate to severe, notably because the broadcaster aired three promos that breached standards within a single programme. Together they…had the potential to unduly disturb the audience, particularly children. Children are afforded special protection under the standards, and the guidelines to the offensive and disturbing content and children’s interests standards make it clear extra care and caution is needed around scheduling content that may adversely affect them. There was foreseeable harm in the inclusion of these promos during this programme,” the BSA said.

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