Videos, DVDs and computer games

What does the law say about the supply of videos, DVDs and computer games to young people?

It is an offence for anyone to sell or hire out any work classified with a ‘12’, ‘15’ or ‘18’ age rating, to any person who has not attained the age of 12, 15 or 18 as appropriate.

A work classified as ‘Restricted 18’ can only be sold to someone over the age of 18 through a licensed sex shop.

What about the other classifications?

• Works labelled ‘Uc’, ‘U’ or ‘PG’ can be sold to anyone
• Those which are exempt from classification (may be marked with ‘E’) can also be sold to anyone, on the grounds that they are:
  - Designed to inform, educate or instruct,
  - Concerned with sport, religion or music,
  - Video games

What are the penalties for breaking the law?

If an illegal sale is made, you could be prosecuted and face a fine of up to £5000, or a prison term of up to 6 months, or both.

What should I do now?

You should set up a system to ensure that you have done all that is possible to prevent you or a member of your staff supplying videos, DVD’s and computer games to young people. You should now read the Preventing underage sales section of this pack for practical guidance on how best to do this.

If you are unsure how old a person is, ask for proof of age. If any doubt remains, always refuse the sale.