Byron calls for PEGI advertising

The video games industry must advertise PEGI once it comes into law, says child psychologist Tanya Byron.

The author of the 2008 Byron review, which challenged the games industry to establish a single system for games age ratings, congratulated the sector on a job well done in her new report.

But now Byron wants to make sure that the message of age ratings reach parents, and has recommended that the industry, retailers, Government and the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UCCIS) spend money in promoting PEGI to the masses.

I recommend that once the use of PEGI becomes law in the UK, companies associated with the video games industry, the online games industry, retailers, and the Government invest in raising public awareness of the new ratings system including through the UCCIS public awareness campaign and UKCCIS one stop shop,” stated Byron.

And Byron also feels games companies should have a larger presence on the UKCCIS board:

Since my 2008 review, the video games industry has grown and new high-profile family focused games have raised the profile of the sector further,” she added.

To reflect this, video games representatives should be prioritised when filling vacancies on the UKCCIS executive board.”

Click here for the progress report on video games age ratings, and click here for Byron’s ‘Do we have safer children in a digital world?’ report in full.