CODE OF CONDUCT
Protection of minors and ensuring morality and legality upon provision of media services
Media Services Act (MeeTS) § 19 regulate, how the media service provider must warn the viewer about the potentially inappropriate content for minors. MeeTS § 22 stipulates that persons involved in the pursuit of the media service and video-sharing activity may create on their own initiative a system the parties to which define voluntarily common recommendations and rules, establishing content requirements as a code of conduct with the purpose of regulating the activities in the area and identify good and bad practice.
This Code of Conduct regulates the rules of the warnings shown on the TV channels of Association of Estonian Broadcasters (ERL) to ensure compliance with the MeeTS regulations.
ERL uses two types of warnings on their programs:
1) 18+
The program is not suitable for minors as the program contains:
- Violence: program contains hard violence, blood and torture.
- Fear: horror movies and other programs causing fear and fright.
- Sex: program contains sex scenes.
- Language use: program contains blatant swearing and profanity.
- Alcohol, drugs: program contains excessive use of alcohol and drugs.
Warning before the program and throughout the screen:
- Warning before the program in both picture and sound: “Following program/movie is not suitable for minors.”
- Watermark throughout the screen: 18+
2) 12+
The program is not suitable for small children and age group 12-17 is recommended to watch the program with an adult.
- Violence: program contains fighting or other types of violence, which does not result in blood and injuries.
- Fear: program contains smaller injuries and frightener people in dangerous situations.
- Sex: use of language has sexual undertone, program displays naked people and movements indicating sex.
- Use of language: program contains mild profanities.
- Alcohol, drugs, tobacco: moderate use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
- Warning before the program and throughout the screen: “The content of the following program may require parental guidance.”
- Watermark throughout the screen: 12+