Private television rigorously monitored

The programming directors of ProSiebenSat.1 Group stations in Germany are in charge of reviewing programming for its appropriateness for young viewers. These officers work autonomously – the law ensures that they do not take orders from the stations’ management. The programming reviewers at ProSiebenSat.1 become involved in programming production and purchasing at an early stage. They review scripts, productions and programs in advance, prepare formal opinions, and maintain close contacts with supervisory authorities, media educators and other stations.

Broadcasters’ youth review officers make sure the stations comply with the pertinent regulations. The licensing state media agencies and the Commission for the Protection of Young People in the Media monitor stations rigorously for compliance with laws and regulations. Any private station that violates the requirements may be subject to fines and other penalties, and may even lose its license.

The Interstate Treaty on Protection of Young People in the Media, which took effect on April 1, 2003, regulates in detail how these provisions are to be implemented on television and other tele-media. Many films that adults can rent or buy at video shops cannot be shown at all on television. Other programming may be shown only subject to restrictions. Films approved for viewing by minors over 16 or adults over 18 can be shown on television only late in the evening, when younger children and younger teenagers are usually no longer watching.

These rules are based on the rating system developed by the FSK, Germany’s voluntary self-regulatory association for the film industry. This body reviews all films released in theaters or on video for material that is potentially inappropriate for children and teenagers. Films and series not released in theaters or on video are submitted for review to the FSF, the voluntary self-regulatory association for television. The FSF was established by private television broadcasters and certified as an independent supervisory body by the Commission for Protection of Young People in the Media. At the FSF, independent experts evaluate submitted broadcasts and decide whether a program can be shown on TV at all, and if so, after what hour. The FSF may also define cuts to be made in programs with the FSK 16 and FSK 18/KJ ratings, in case the broadcaster wants to show the program in an earlier time slot.

The best protection is at home

But no matter how rigorously TV stations work to comply with regulations, they cannot guarantee that protection will really be effective. The impact of media depends mainly on social components – the parental home, the social environment, and psychological factors. Children and teenagers need to be protected from far more than certain kinds of content. Electronic media are an important part of modern society. Young people have to be taught to handle them properly. The most recent research on the effects of the media has unanimously found that appropriate “media skills” must be encouraged among children and teenagers. Because the most effective protection for our young people is at home.