Young New Zealanders are one of the groups most affected by the decisions of the Classification Office. This set of research reports explores this group's perceptions of the harm that can come from the content in films and games, and the systems set up to regulate and restrict access to this content.
The research is divided into three components:
Young People's Perceptions of Media Content: A Literature Review
The literature review draws together findings from New Zealand and overseas to investigate what young people perceive the effects of media to be, what they think about content regulation, and what type of content concerns them. The literature review is unique in its focus on young people's views. The findings of the studies included in the review in many instances reflect those of the Classification Office's own research, of which this review is a component.
Survey of Young People's Perceptions of the Classification System
The survey presents the results of an online survey of 507 New Zealanders aged 16 to 18, in which respondents were asked about their perceptions and use of the classification system for films and games. The survey findings indicate that young New Zealanders are accepting of the idea of having restrictions on certain films and games, both for themselves and for those younger than them.
Young People's Perceptions of the Classification System and Potential Harms from Media Content: Discussion Group Findings
In discussion groups, young people also told us that although they feel they are on the whole mature enough to handle most types of content, they want to be able to make informed choices about films and games in order to view or avoid certain content. Young people also mentioned being disturbed by content they had seen prior to being old enough to handle it and expressed a desire for some kind of warning about content in films both for themselves and for those younger than them.