Sky has announced a new Parents’ Guide feature for Sky Q. The new system will help parents deem the suitability of films and TV series that their children want to watch by giving a break down of different aspects of the programme such as its educational value and the amount of violence. The system is powered by Common Sense Media, an independent non-profit organisation that has ratings for thousands of works.
The Parents’ Guide is accessible from Sky Cinema, Sky Store, and partner film channels via the Sky Q sidebar menu. For each title you’ll see a zero-to-five rating across the following categories:
- Violence & Scariness
- Positive Messages
- Consumerism
- ‘Sexy Stuff’
- Positive Role Models & Representation
- Language
- Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
- Educational Value
Discussing the new feature, Jill Murphy from Common Sense Media, said:
“Our goal is to give Sky customers trusted information, so they can decide what movies work for them. Our ratings are based on child development and what they are ready for, no matter what the age classification says. Beyond violence and bad language, we also look at how characters talk to each other, if they’re respectful towards each other and their parents. What one five-year-old may enjoy, another may find upsetting, so we want to take some of the guesswork out of this process.”
The Parents’ Guide is rolling out to all Sky Q customers from today but it may take until the end of August to finally reach your device. Parents’ Guide joins Sky’s other child safety tools including Sky Broadband Buddy which lets parents manage each screen in their home and Kids Safe Mode which creates “an age-appropriate, protected TV viewing environment.”
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