Censor Watch

MAGNET is a 2024 UK action drama by Larry Bammeke
Starring Dion Marcos, Faith Kiggundu and Gerald Maliqi

BBFC category cuts were required for a 12A rated cinema release in 2024.

Summary Notes

Follow Kevin in this British drama - a charismatic and unshakeably confident young lad haunted by an unchangeable past and a future shaped by it. Scarred by his estranged father's abandonment and burdened by a broken mother, he turns to menacing ways far beyond redemption.

Versions

cut: run: 161:08s pal: 154:41s

UK: BBFC 12A rated for violence, threat, language, drug misuse, sexual violence references for violence, threat, language, drug misuse, sexual violence references after BBFC cuts: 2024 World Harvest Christian Centre (TNM Production) cinema release (rated 17/09/2024) The BBFC commented: The distributor chose to remove a scene of drug misuse in order to achieve their preferred 12A rating. An uncut 15 was available.

The Australian internet industry has produced draft censorship rules related to age/ID verification. The schedule is for these to come into force in 2025.

One of the rules that has caught the attention is that search engines will be required to age/ID verify users before links to porn or gambling sites sites can be provided.

The draft codes will apply to websites, social media, video games, search engines, gaming companies, app developers and internet service providers, among others.

As is the case in most other countries, the authorities are refusing to specify exactly what age/ID verification mechanisms will be acceptable and will leave it to companies to take enormous commercial risks in guessing what mechanisms will be acceptable. Examples of options include checking photo ID, facial age estimation, credit card checks, digital ID wallets or systems, or attestation by a parent or guardian.

The codes have been developed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (Amta), the Communications Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Suppliers Association (CESA), the Digital Industry Group Inc. (Digi), and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA).

Dr Jennifer Duxbury, Digi's director for policy, regulatory affairs, and research, told Guardian Australia that the group doesn't speak for the porn industry, and added:

I can't predict what their reaction might be, whether they would withdraw from the market, or what's the likely outcome.

Longlegs is a 2024 Canada/US crime horror thriller by Oz Perkins
Starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage and Blair Underwood

In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.

The BBFC has published minutes of meeting where the classification of Longlegs was discussed as the classification decision had been the subject of two complaints saying that the film was too strong for a 15 rating. The BBFC explained:

[ Spoilers! hover or click text below]

The BBFC classified the film 15 uncut for strong violence, gore, threat, horror and language, first for home entertainment and subsequently for theatrical release. The BBFC received two complaints from members of the public who believed that the film appeared too strong for 15, with regard to a scene in which the serial killer, Longlegs, repeatedly bashes his head on a table, which is a moment of gore and self-injury that results in his death. The scene had been discussed in the Compliance meeting on 21 August 2024 with regard to whether it was on the 15/18 borderline due to what may be considered an example of the strongest gory images, which would require an 18.

The BBFC's Classification Guidelines at 15 state with regard to suicide and self-harm that [s]cenes of suicide and self-harm should not be frequent or endorsed. Glamorisation of suicide or self-harm may result in a higher rating. Graphic depictions or detailed references are unlikely to be permitted. For threat and horror, There may be strong threat and horror. A sustained focus on sadistic threat is unlikely to be acceptable. And violence may be strong but there should not be sustained focus on the infliction of pain or victims suffering. The strongest gory images may occur if justified by context (for example, war, medical detail). Prolonged sadistic violence is unlikely to be acceptable.'

The Classifiers were asked to consider the scene for informational purposes and did so within the context of the film as a whole. They considered that the gore is self-inflicted, by the serial killer character, and that the scene does not show Longlegs' method of taking his own life to be an attractive solution or one likely to be effective. They noted that the real-world setting strengthens the impact of the scene and that the film has a sustained creepiness but that the film's supernatural and satanic elements provide mitigation. Some Compliance Officers considered that the more the Longlegs character is seen, the less creepy he appears, and so considered the 15 decision to be correct. The Classifiers agreed that Longlegs had been appropriately placed at the 15 category.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a 2024 US first person shooter published by Activision

The game was banned by Kuwait government censors in October 2024. The government has reportedly blocked the game from being sold in stores or downloaded digitally.

In a statement from publishers Activision, the company confirmed the news:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has not been approved for release in Kuwait. At this time, the title will not be available for release in region. As a result, all pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase. We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.

Gamers who had pre-ordered the game will receive full refunds, but the disappointment remains high. It's not the first time Kuwait has blocked a game, with previous examples including The Sims: FreePlay and Dragon's Dogma 2, highlighting the stricter regulations on gaming in the country.

The reason behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 being blocked in Kuwait hasn't been officially revealed, but it's likely due to its focus on the Gulf War and Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which is a sensitive topic for the region.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be available elsewhere on October 25 for the PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Ofcom writes:

Parliament set us a deadline of April 2025 to finalise our codes and guidance on illegal harms and children's safety. We will finalise our illegal harms codes and guidance ahead of this deadline. Our expected timing for key milestones over the next year -- which could change -- include:

• December 2024: Ofcom will publish first edition illegal harms codes and guidance. Platforms will have three months to complete illegal harms risk assessment.

• January 2025: Ofcom will finalise children's access assessment guidance and guidance for pornography providers on age assurance. Platforms will have three months to assess whether their service is likely to be accessed by children.

• February 2025: Ofcom will consult on best practice guidance on protecting women and girls online, earlier than previously planned. March 2025: Platforms must complete their illegal harms risk assessments, and implement appropriate safety measures.

• April 2025: Platforms must complete children's access assessments. Ofcom to finalise children's safety codes and guidance. Companies will have three months to complete children's risk assessment.

• Spring 2025: Ofcom will consult on additional measures for second edition codes and guidance.

• July 2025: Platforms must complete children's risk assessments, and make sure they implement appropriate safety measures.

We will review selected risk assessments to ensure they are suitable and sufficient, in line with our guidance, and seek improvements where we believe firms have not adequately mitigated the risks they face. Ready to take enforcement action.

Ofcom has the power to take enforcement action against platforms that fail to comply with their new duties, including imposing significant fines where appropriate. In the most serious cases, Ofcom will be able to seek a court order to block access to a service in the UK, or limit its access to payment providers or advertisers.

We are prepared to take strong action if tech firms fail to put in place the measures that will be most impactful in protecting users, especially children, from serious harms such as those relating to child sexual abuse, pornography and fraud.

California's governor Gavin Newsom has signed a wide ranging bill to limit the ability of social media companies to provide feeds to minors that politicians claim to be addictive. Newsom signed Senate Bill 976, named the Protecting Our Kids From Social Media Addiction Act and introduced by state Senator Nancy Skinner.

Of course the fundamental social media 'algorithm' is to provide a user with more of the content that they showed they enjoyed. Politicians and campaigners would clearly prefer that users would instead get a feed of what they 'should' be enjoying.

The legislation was widely opposed by groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of California, Equality California and associations representing giants in the industry that own TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. The California Chamber of Commerce argued that the legislation unconstitutionally burdens access to lawful content, setting up the potential for another lawsuit in an ongoing court battle between the state and social media companies over use of the platforms by children.

The bill, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2027, with Newsom's signature, prohibits internet service and applications from providing addictive feeds, defined as media curated based on information gathered on or provided by the user, to minors without parental consent. SB 976 also bans companies from sending notifications to users identified as minors between midnight and 6 a.m. or during the school day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. unless parents give the OK.

The bill will effectively require companies to make posts from people children know and follow appear in chronological order on their social media feeds instead of in an arrangement to maximize engagement.

The bill doesn't specifically mandate age verification but the policies outlined above do require the internet companies to know the age of a user whether specified or not.