Disney+ needs to stop taking the mickey - The Jewish Chronicle

U, PG, 15, 18 – the age ratings provided by the British Board of Film Classification constitute one of Britain’s best known and most trusted brands. For some young people, they are aspirational, a mark of good quality cinematography to come. For mums, dads, and carers across the UK, they can be an essential guide for responsible parenting. The BBFC doesn’t only provide age ratings for content released in UK cinemas, but also that released on DVD, and on a range of Video-on Demand and streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon and Apple.

There is however a surprising outrider in the streaming world in Disney+. If we are discussing well known and trusted brands, one might think Disney beyond reproach, but it appears the company may not have the same regard for the wellbeing of children as we have come to believe through its many years of marketing entertainment to young people.

In the UK, Disney+ has taken the unusual step of applying its own arbitrary ratings to the content on its platform. These do not provide the same level of confidence that the BBFC’s work does. To take an example, the show American Dad is rated by the BBFC as Certificate 15 for reasons including ‘frequent crude sex references’, ‘strong violence’ and ‘drug misuse’. For Disney+, this content is appropriate for 12-year-olds to watch. The well-known Family Guy series is however rated 14+ despite the similarity in content.

Perhaps Disney might explain why something like Family Guy, a show which depicted a ‘flock’ of stereotyped Jewish clones obsessively picking up money, is put in the same category as the Mandalorian, a Star Wars spin off with great appeal to children? Why is American Dad supposedly more suitable for a younger audience than the latest in the Star Wars franchise?