DIGITAL BRITAIN: VSC given new powers

Baroness Shephard, president of the Video Standards Council, believes that today’s decision from the government to give PEGI the sole power to rate the UK’s video games has made the nation’s kids that bit safer.

The Government has today taken a major step to improve child safety, online and offline, in the video games sector,” Shephard explained.

PEGI is a robust, independent games rating system used widely throughout Europe and beyond. By making PEGI legally enforceable in the UK, the government has shown that it is determined to protect children, help parents make informed decisions and deliver consistency in games rating.

The VSC is responsible for ensuring that games comply with PEGI’s regulations prior to granting licenses for them to be sold within the UK. Rights given in today’s Digital Britain report grant VSC the power to ban games that do not adhere to PEGI’s regulations.

Shephard added: VSC will exercise this new power independently of the PEGI system, providing a fail-safe for the UK – protecting children through PEGI and addressing UK-specific sensibilities by refusing classification of any game which falls foul of the Video Recordings Act.

This decision is the right one for consumers in the UK.”