Media Content Regulation: Its impact in the new media world Andrea Millwood Hargrave Taiwan

1. Media Content Regulation:Its impact in the new media world Andrea Millwood Hargrave Taiwan November 2008

2. Changes in TV marketplace • Spectrum scarcity • Delivery platforms • From delivery to access to creation • Television screen to pc to mobile • Linear and non-linear • Different levels of regulation worldwide • Increasing concerns about societal needs

3. Harm and Offence in Media Content:A review of the evidence • Research across media content delivery systems • Sponsored by regulators and industry (2008 Update) • Conducted with support of London School of Economics To provide a firm base for policy-making and decisions on content

4. Scope • Recent research on harm and offence (2000 +) • Update: research on harm only from 2005 • Mainly English-language based • Academic, but also industry and regulator research • Empirical evidence, not descriptive data • Over 1000 pieces of evidence • All media • NOT benefits of media content • NOT illegal content, health-related harms, financial harms

5. Definitions: Harm • Harm: • Widely (but not necessarily) seen to be objective and measurable • Can affect both the media user and others (individual, group, society) • Demands prevention – including public intervention? • More difficult to prove? • Different types of harm • Changed attitudes or beliefs affecting the individual • Changed behaviours, including the increased propensity to hurt others • Emotional responses

6. Definitions: Offence • Offence: • Is more subjective • Is easier to measure but less reliable? Less predictable? • Affects the individual • Not long-term • Less important for public policy? • – when does offence become harm?

7. Findings: Television • Most research conducted for this medium (benefits as well as negative effects) • Drives most media research – but • television as a mass medium • regulated in Europe, less regulated in US • viewing experience different • concentrated on children and young people • experimental methodology in US/ varied methodologies in Europe • Evidence suggests that television can negatively affect attitudes in some areas (antisocial and/or aggressive behaviour, reality-defining effects)

8. Findings: Internet • Increasingly important – and increasingly researched • Research regarding potential for harm concentrates on adolescents • Recent research has looked at social networking sites, but little as yet on user-generated content (some on commercial nature of medium)/mobile • Difficulty of verifiability and anonymity which leads to ‘surrender’ of privacy • Risk of inappropriate contact and increased accessibility/availability • Limited use made of possible protective measures • Research on online pornography esp. with regard to children

9. What do the findings tell us? • Evidence base is patchy • more established media little researched but still important • newer media forms little researched – evidence anecdotal • importance of conditions of access • Research shows little sign of convergence - tv-driven? • Research concentrated around harms – repeated offence? • BUT vulnerable groups

10. Challenges for policy-making • Legal instruments being created with little research evidence – and policy making? • Increasing reliance on media literacy • Difficulty of ‘reading’ the data and contingent outcomes

11. Changes in regulation

12. Mechanisms of co-regulation • Code of practice or guidelines • Complaints handling/Sanctions • Governance/impartiality • Lay members vs industry • Backstop powers – government or statutory regulator

13. Mechanisms of self-regulation • Code of practice or guidelines • Complaints handling • Sanctions • Governance/impartiality • Lay members vs industry

14. European Initiatives • Most significant supported by the Safer Internet Programme of the EU – second phase • The 4-year programme (2005–08) has budget of € 45m • The programme has four main actions: • Fighting against illegal content • Tackling unwanted and harmful content • Promoting a safer environment • Awareness-raising

15. UK Initiative • Backed by government department (Home Office) and by industry • UK Home Office Taskforce for Child Protection on the Internet published guidelines to advise on internet safety issues - includes advice on online searching and moderation • Aimed at internet users and internet safety awareness raisers. • For example, the guide on safe searching outlines how online search engines work and gives practical advice for internet users, particularly children, to benefit from these services safely.  It also addresses search providers, and their role in supporting child protection online.  The information explains the distinction between 'potentially harmful' and 'illegal content' from a UK perspective. • The Good Practice Guide to Moderation is primarily aimed at organisations and companies that provide interactive services online.  The detailed information covers all aspects of moderation, including an explanation of the different methods that can be used, and practical advice on how to recruit and train moderators.

16. Thanks andrea.millwoodhargrave@ntlworld.com

17. Findings: Games • Nature of electronic games has changed – research not always keeping up with it – patchy evidence • Like television, argued about from different disciplinary traditions • Concerns mainly about violent content, due to immersive nature of gaming • Stereotypes also an issue – especially gender stereotypes • Some evidence of addiction • Discipline that argues for the positive modelling derived from gaming • Self-regulation – recent US experience shows complexity

18. Findings: Music • Little research in this area • Content analysis main mode of analysis, not audience work • Suggestion of negative effects on attitudes and behaviour • Self-regulation in some countries - information stickers for offensive lyrics

19. Findings: Film, video and DVD • Most research conducted around ‘adult’ content – sexual or violent • Little recent research in this field • Suggestion of negative effects of non-consensual pornography stronger in terms of both attitudes and behaviour; results for consensual pornography more ambivalent • Gaps in research - children • Regulated in most territories • Public attitudes more tolerant in general

20. Findings: Print • Research still conducted in the US, especially around the way in which public discourse is framed • Both national and local press • Did not consider magazines or comics – little found on manga for example • Not just public discourse through the use of language for example, but through lack of or mis- information • Self-regulation, privacy and personal issues