Film Censorship Board Advises Parents on Appropriate Cinema Viewing for Children During Lebaran Holiday

Jakarta - The Film Censorship Board (LSF) has stressed the importance of parents selecting appropriate films when taking their children to the cinema during the Lebaran holiday break.

“First, choose films according to the age classification suitable for your child—whether appropriate for all ages—and understand the reason parents need to take their child to watch, which should be for educational purposes,” said LSF Deputy Chair Noorca M. Massardi to ANTARA in Jakarta on Sunday (15 March).

Noorca explained that parents can verify film classifications according to viewer age by checking the colour coding on films. Films suitable for all ages are marked with green, films for viewers aged 13 years and above are marked yellow, films for viewers aged 17 years and above are marked red, and films for viewers aged 21 years and above are marked black.

“Parents must watch and accompany their children, so that if questions arise—‘Mum, what is that? Why is that?’—they can answer wisely, to prevent children from developing their own interpretation of a scene, which may not reflect the film’s actual intent but which they perceive as something negative,” he explained.

Noorca advised that parents should select films whose stories and themes align with their child’s interests. After watching together, parents should ask their children for their opinions about the film and provide explanations about good and bad behaviour depicted in the film.

“Don’t let children think that theft is fun too, because it can be profitable and requires no work,” he said.

Parents should therefore exercise caution when selecting entertainment for their children. “Consider your child’s future—if they mature prematurely, or if they are influenced negatively, it can impact the entire family,” Noorca stated.

“For example, if they suddenly enjoy fighting, become angry with their friends, hitting and kicking as they do in films, that’s beyond our control and becomes difficult to remedy,” he added.