Film Classification Board urges public to observe age categories when taking children to watch films
Jakarta — The Indonesian Film Classification Board (LSF) has urged the public to pay attention to age ratings when bringing children to watch films at cinemas during Lebaran holidays.
LSF Deputy Chair Noorca M. Massardi stated that watching content unsuitable for a child’s age could have negative impacts on their development. “If films with a 17+ rating are watched by underage children, it will definitely produce negative effects. This is not aligned with their cognitive development characteristics, their mental development — it will definitely have negative impacts,” he told Antara News in Jakarta on Sunday (15 March).
He explained that audiovisual content in films can be recorded and stored in a child’s memory for a long time, which is why parents should be judicious in selecting appropriate viewing material for their children. “I still remember watching films when I was small, and I remember until now what the film was, but several scenes are still in my memory and have stayed with me into adulthood,” he said.
According to Massardi, children should not be taken to watch films containing scenes of violence or romantic scenes involving physical contact. “Violence scenes will definitely disturb children or people below the age classification,” he explained. “So they will imagine what that scene feels like, even if they are only five years old,” he added.
The LSF actively campaigns the National Self-Censorship Culture Movement to build public habits of watching quality content appropriate to age categories. Massardi stated that the LSF researches, evaluates, and classifies films based on audience age categories to protect viewers from negative film impacts.
The LSF categorises films based on audience age. Films for all ages are marked with a green label, and films for viewers aged 13 and above are marked with a yellow label. Films for viewers aged 17 and above are marked with a red label, and films for viewers aged 21 and above are marked with a black label.
Since 2022, the LSF has worked with the Indonesian Cinema Operators Association (GPBSI) to implement the Cinema Self-Censorship Awareness Movement. Under this initiative, cinema operators take measures to direct audiences to watch films in accordance with their age classification. Service providers display different colours for each film corresponding to viewer age classifications on cinema ticket sales.