The Protection of Minors Against Harmful Media Content in Europe

Reaching agreement on child protection and the media at a joint European level is a difficult process, as national differences regarding film classifications would appear to be too great. On the basis of interviews conducted with leading classifiers in Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, France, Portugal, Spain and Ireland, the considerable differences in the rationales behind the respective national classification concepts are examined in terms of how children and adolescents in Europe are granted autonomy and responsibility, and what role parents play in this. The basic plea is for more attention to be given to the intercultural dimensions of the relationship between children, adolescents and adults in further work to develop a European youth media protection act.