APRIL NEWSLETTER

Kia ora koutou,

Our research work exploring young people’s experiences with porn started in 2018 with our nationally representative survey of 14-17 year olds, NZ Youth and Porn. In 2019 we analysed content readily available on PornHub for our study Breaking Down Porn, and in 2020 conducted more than 50 interviews with youth which were summarised in our report Growing up with Porn. This three-part research continues to prove valuable, not just informing our work in the Classification Office but for external agencies and organisations too. It has influenced the new Education curriculum relationship and sexuality guidelines and we will be excited to see the resources that University of Canterbury experts Dr Rachael Dixon and Tracy Clelland create for the Ministry of Education to support schools and teachers implement those. Our research lead Henry continues to share the learnings in person and recently spoke in Christchurch as part of the Collaborative Trust seminar series.

And this month we’re thrilled this research programme has been acknowledged by research peers with the Office, The Collaborative Trust and Colmar Brunton receiving the supreme award at the Research Association RAEAwards.

The Office is now undertaking new research into an area that requires plenty of attention: the scope and public perception of disinformation and misinformation. We hope this too will have a larger life beyond the Classification Office and inform the work for others in this space.

Our newsletters generally talk about topics like sex, drugs, and the media content landscape. Our aim is to have difficult conversations and shine a light on ways to reduce harm for New Zealanders. If you know someone who should receive these updates, please share our newsletter or encourage them to subscribe here.

#WatchTogether #TalkTogether

Pictured: Chief Censor David Shanks with Lisa Thornhill and Jocelyn Rout of Colmar Brunton accepting the Supreme Award at the RAEAwards this month. 

"Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how our children grow, so will be the shape of Aotearoa" — Dame Whina Cooper

Our team, along with collaborators Colmar Brunton and The Collaborative Trust, have been awarded the Dynata Supreme Award + Platinum Award in the Social, Community and Not-for-Profit category at the RAEAwards 2021 for our research breaking the taboo on youth and porn. We work hard to reduce harm for New Zealanders, and we have found the more we listen the better we are at that job. And while we’re not in it for the glory it is great for the team, and colleagues at Colmar Brunton and The Collaborative Trust, to have that hard work recognised by research industry professionals. Our Youth and Porn research is helping many organisations break the taboo and start to have those difficult conversations. Ka rawe!

"They found a way through careful design and execution and thoughtful engagement across multiple stakeholders to tackle this the taboo and help make a difference for generations to come. Generating global exposure this research is already a case study that will have a far-reaching impact." —Judges' citation, Research Association NZ

***SPOILER ALERT***

The United States vs Billie Holiday: the Classification decision

The United States vs. Billie Holiday is a biopic about fame, drug addiction and racism in 1940s America. The regular musical numbers mean it is likely to appeal to lovers of Billie Holiday’s music. Its treatment of historical racism in relation to America’s 'war on drugs' mean it is relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The film deals predominantly with matters of sex and crime. Moderately strong sex scenes, involving nudity, indicate that film is unsuitable for children. Instructional depictions of intravenous drug use and its effect are likely to shock and disturb younger audiences. Furthermore, the regularity of these depictions are likely to have a normalising effect, despite the historical distance. The frequent highly offensive language also contribute to the need for a restriction. Read the full decision online.

R16 | Sex scenes, violence, drug use, offensive language & nudity

An important topic, a challenging film, a hard classification decision  

R18 genre-bending revenge thriller Promising Young Woman was classified by the Office in March 2020. With Academy Awards buzz now bringing renewed attention to the film we recently received feedback that our rating for this film is too restrictive and that people as young as 16 would gain value from seeing it. Getting the balance right on films like this can be tricky. Our classification officers were assisted by a 19-year-old member of our youth advisory panel and a member of staff with experience in the sexual abuse prevention sector to determine the final rating of R18 Violence, deals with rape and suicide. We felt that the film’s treatment of sexual violence and a prolonged killing scene would likely be triggering for viewers (of any age) who have experienced sexual assault or unwanted sexual advances.

Over on the blog we go into more detail on how we determine an R rating for a film that deals with this difficult subject matter.

IN PERSON

Our research lead Henry Talbot joined The Collaborative Trust to present on our NZ Youth and Porn research series in Christchurch on 9 April. The presentation provided an overview of this programme of research, highlighting key findings from all three studies and how these findings can be used to ensure we are all better informed and better placed to support rangatahi. The presentation was followed by a discussion of the issues raised in the research and was a great opportunity to continue this important conversation. Check out The Collaborative Trust's upcoming seminar series for May.

ONLINE

New relationship and sexuality resources will empower school teachers to implement updated guidelines
New relationships and sexuality education (RSE) guidelines are out – and teachers and leaders are getting support to bring the guidelines to life in their schools. The University of Canterbury has been awarded the Ministry of Education contract to create effective practice showcases and educator resources to help schools and teachers implement the guidelines. The resources are being designed by Dr Rachael Dixon and Tracy Clelland, who both taught in schools previously. The resources will empower educators to help young people to find reliable information and think critically about the reality of relationships and sexuality in the digital age. The resources will be housed on a dedicated section of the Ministry of Education’s wellbeing website, with an expected release date of term three 2021.

Because our work involves a broad knowledge of the vast online landscape, we consume a lot of media in the office. Here are just a few of the things we’ve enjoyed digesting over the past month.

Zoom fatigue? It’s hitting women harder than men, here’s why [The New York Times]

Mark Zuckerberg, the modern Bond villain, is now coming for your children [The Guardian opinion]

"Google does have limits. I tried searching “How do I poison my husband,” and the results were literary or humorous, not how-to instructions. The top responses to “How do I commit suicide” were for a suicide hotline. So, Google, why not demonstrate the same responsibility when it comes to searches for rape videos?" Why Do We let Corporations Profit from Rape Videos? [NY Times]