Children watching R-rated videos, seminar hears

Press, 23 June 1986, Page 8

Children watching R-rated videos, seminar hears

PA Auckland Many children watched R-rated films and pornography on video, an expert on literature for the young told a week-end seminar. Mrs Betty Gilderdale said such a trend was reflected in a national survey. “What is happening with videos is very frightening,’’ she said. “There is an urgent and pressing need for Parliament to legislate. At least with television there are some controls. With videos there is nothing.” She said the survey showed that R-16, R-18 or R-20 films were being seen by primary-school children at home. In several cases "adult” tapes hired by parents had been viewed by children.

“Parents should make very sure they know where their children are going to play and what exactly they are going to do,” Mrs Gilderdale said. The seminar also was told that a third television channel would mean more violence but no increase in the number of quality programmes. The programme controller of Television New Zealand, Mr Des Monaghan, said funding problems would mean more low-grade imports with a third channel.

“There are only a finite number of good programmes available and we have got them,” he said.

“There is also only a finite amount of advertising revenue.” Mr Monaghan said no more quality overseas

programmes would be available, while there would be no money to make more New Zealand material. “We have the best possible variety of viewing and we buy the best in each type of programme.” Responding to calls from the 300 people at the seminar for more stringent controls from television, Mr Monaghan said the medium did not have the effect people often thought. “Obviously you will not like everything. I plead with you to be discriminating viewers,” he said. "I think television contributes (to affecting people’s lives), but I don’t think it is the dominating influence in our lives. Homes, peer groups, schools are all far, far more influential.”