Reports of more stringent legal penalties for stores 'plain wrong' says Review's author
Dr. Tanya Byron has rubbished media reports that her Government Review into digital entertainment recommends stricter legal penalties for UK retailers.
Early national newspaper articles printed on the morning of the Review claimed that Byron had suggested ‘retailers who sell video games to anyone under the age rating on the box should face a hefty fine or up to five years in prison’ – a story which was repeated and expanded on by UK games news sites.
However, Dr. Byron told MCV that the Review contained no such recommendation, and that she was very keen to reassure retailers that were concerned by the reports.
Byron confirmed that she was satisfied with the current penalties retailers face when caught selling BBFC-rated games to underage consumers.
Byron told MCV:
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“That’s nowhere in the Review. Nowhere. I haven’t recommended any scary new legal threats to retailers. That’s plain wrong. I’ve read that elsewhere and I'd like to be really clear about that.
“The law as it stands says you can’t sell games to anyone under the statutory age of a BBFC-rated product. I didn’t make that up. It's the law, and retailers already know it. All that’s changed is that ‘12’ will now join ‘15’ and ‘18’ as a statutory rating.
“I didn’t do this to finger wag at retail. I don’t do finger wagging. It’s a waste of time. There was no need to act. Retail were talking about how it’s important for them to be able to be really clear on what can and can’t be sold to someone of a certain age.
“I was never interested in wagging my finger at retail and saying: 'If you don’t do it, you’ll be carted off to jail.' I didn’t recommend that, and I didn’t mean for anyone to infer it from my recommendations.”
To read the real recommendations of the Byron Review in full, click here.
Be sure to check out this Friday's MCV magazine for our full, in-depth interview with Dr. Byron.
Comments
Test the law - feature suggestion
Finger wagging? Games retailser *should* face heavier penalties. Either the current penalities are not heavy enough or the system that enforces them is not working properly. Here's a test that MCV should try out. Send a 14-year-old to buy an 18-rated game at ten various game retail outlets. Then send the same kid to buy an 18-rated movie at ten various DVD retail outlets. Then send the same kid to buy some booze at ten various off-licenses. Then print the results and still try to infer that games retailers are not at fault.
Doree
Also tell the 14 year old to deliver all the stuff he successfully buys to my place afterwards - we can't allow him to consume any of it.
I am glad that Byron has been finally talking to the games specific media so we can get our own straight answers. It seems, like I thought was the case, that there is actually no big deal here and it's just the newspapers being ****s.
Re: Doree
A 15 year old can already buy 18 rated violent & hardcore pornography media !
There are no laws being broken.
Re: Doree
Who is this Dr Byron, and why does she dictate what the ratings system should be like? before this month I had never heard of her. What gives her the authority to change the industry?
Re: Doree
@Adam Hartely.
You've clearly never worked in retail to with such a blinkered view. Very few retailers knowingly sell adult products to minors, the system in place is fine the problem lies with irresponsible adults and parents purchasing adult products for children. Retailers can guide adults as to their purchases for minors but at the end of the day retailers cannot stop them buying the product. I'd love to know how, in your view, that equates to the 'system not working'.
Sytem Not Working
"Very few retailers knowingly sell adult products to minors" - I'm sorry, but this is simply not true.
If MCV ran the feature I suggested above I think the games industry - and games retail in particular - would be forced to face up to this fact. Which I suppose is the reason why MCV will not run the feature...
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