Bulgaria

[BG] Criteria for Evaluation of Damaging Content for Children

IRIS 2012-2:1/10

Rayna Nikolova

New Bulgarian University

On 25 October 2011, the Council for Electronic Media and the State Agency for Child Protection drew up criteria for the assessment of content that is adverse to, or potentially damages, the mental, moral and/or social development of children, in compliance with Art. 32, para. 5 of the Radio and Television Act.

The following requirements are among these criteria concerning the programme content of media:

1. Elements of the programme content that may have an adverse impact or create a risk of harm to children, should be located in programme zones where children are not supposed to be the attracted audience.

2. Media service providers distributing audiovisual works/movies consider the categorisation of movies according to Art. 37, para. 4 of the Law on Film Industry, which is implemented by the National Film Rating Committee (see IRIS 2004-6/103).

3. Media service providers do not allow commercial communications directed at children or such containing an involvement of a child or a participation of a child using alcohol, cigarettes or tobacco products, drugs or treatment, except if prescription-based, and do not encourage immoderate consumption of such beverages and products.

4. Potentially harmful to children are such transmissions or other elements of the programme that contain pornography or sexually explicit scenes or scenes which:

a) contain unjustified acts of violence against people and/or animals;

b) cause incitement to criminal and/or anti-social behaviour;

c) contain shocking scenes children usually cannot witness e.g. dead, mutilated human bodies, or victims of violence or other medical manipulations etc.