- Ofcom regulates broadcasting standards in the UK and oversees the watershed at 9pm, before which content should be suitable for those under 15. - There is debate around the level of violence, sexual content, language, and imitative behavior shown on TV, with many arguing certain content should be restricted before 9pm to protect children. - Audience research found the greatest concerns were around realistic portrayals of violence, drug/alcohol abuse, and the influence of inappropriate role models on reality shows and soaps.

1. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Who regulates the content of soaps in the UK?
The Broadcasting Standards Regulation- Ofcom
How does the process of regulation work?
The process works initially by the use of the watershed. The watershed is the set
time of 9 o’clock in the evening where before this no inappropriate language or
content should be shown. Programmes displayed before the watershed are trusted
to not contain any offensive content that is not suitable for children under the age of
15. The process of regulation is reviewed by ofcom frequently where opinions from
the public are gathered. This information is then analysed and discussed.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/uploads/BROADCASTING_STANDARDS_
REGULATION.pdf

2. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Violence
The extend of violence shown on television was seen as the most controversial issue
and was strongly debated in the primary research task. For example some said that
children are more influenced by ‘cartoon’ violence rather than real life violence. By
cartoon violence they were suggesting vicious fighting with lots of blood whereas some
said that realistic violence was more influential as this demonstrates the ease of
violence in real life.
Real life violent situations such as war and terrorist attacks were additionally disputed.
Some members of the audience said that the news is the news and therefore should
be shown regardless of its content. Others said there should be boundaries as to not
expose children to the harsh reality of the world such as dead bodies and gore.
The conclusion most people came to was that there should be more than one edit of
the news. For instance before 9pm the news should be restricted and more ‘family
friendly’ whereas after 9pm the news should be a realistic representation of the events
within the world.
Some people asked additionally stated that broadcasters have taken issues such as
domestic violence too far and have become too explicit.

3. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Sexual content
some people worry about how sexual content is expressed on television through the
use of soaps, dramas and reality shows. Many people would support the idea that the
content in these programmes is too explicit and is not suitable for all ages when it is
shown before the 9pm watershed. Some say the portrayal of this behaviour leads young
people under the age of 15 to think this behaviour e.g. Regular, promiscuous, un-thinking
sexual relations is normal and acceptable within society.
On the other hand others argue that the use of situations such as: teenage pregnancy,
unmarried mothers and AIDS is really important to show on television. Many argue this
point of view as this can be a good way to teach younger people about these situations
and therefore can be seen as educational.
Lastly many people (in particular men) have stated that they do not believe it
appropriate for any homosexual behaviour to be shown at any time on the television.
Women were more tolerant however when surveyed the general consensus was that a
passionate homosexual kiss should only be shown after 9pm.

4. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Language
The use of language on television was additionally disputed by members of the public
that were interviewed by ‘ofcom’. For example tolerance had risen for ‘soft’ swears
words such as ‘crap’, ‘piss’ and ‘bugger’. Most participants suggested that these words
were acceptable in the early evening for example between 7:30 and 9pm however they
were not to be heard often or repetitively.
Harsher swear words were still frowned upon in particularly by parents and the elderly
as they stated ‘there is no need for them’. It was discussed that harsh swear words
shouldn’t really be used before 9pm as many of the target audience for shows before
9pm are young people under the age of 15. However it was suggested that harsh swear
words would be tolerated after 10pm in situations where they’re not used with
aggression.
It was agreed that young children are more influenced by what they hear in the
playground rather than what they learn from television. Parents and some other
interviewed groups mainly said that they would rather their child and children in society
did not hear this language before 9pm.

5. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Imitative behaviour
This was another area discussed when researching the opinions of audiences.
However this subject was more one sided. For example the majority of people when
asked about imitative behaviour had a negative opinion of how it was represented
through television.
Most people said that subjects such as: drug abuse, alcohol abuse, casual sex and crime
are too widely broadcast and don’t portray as much negativity as they should.
Role models were additionally commented on. For example many people think that
children are far too easily influenced by bad role models. These role models are found
in both reality TV shows and soaps. It was discussed that young girls are the most
vulnerable in this situation as they often want to style themselves on their role model
and this is inappropriate for their age and in society.

6. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
The graph below demonstrates the audience’s concerns on a scale of 1 to 5 on the
topics discussed earlier.

7. Regulations- standards of taste and decency
Why do some members of society worry?
Some members of society worry about the content shown on our TVs as they do not
want to hear bad language and additionally don’t want to children to be influenced in
a negative way e.g. Through the use of indecent images. Young children watching
soaps with their family will be influenced by the lives of characters as they are likely to
be older than them and should be deemed role models.
On the other hand some view censorship as an over-reaction as a lot of content found
in soap opera could be seen as educational e.g. Homosexuality and teenage
pregnancy. Soaps offer the perfect opportunity for young children to be taught about
our society today by their parents. Additionally this up to the parents of the child how
in depth they explain the situation shown on screen and therefore doesn’t pressure
them into telling the child anything they don’t want them to know. Statistics have also
shown that children are more influenced by the school playground than they are
situations within soaps.

8. Regulation- standards of taste and decency
Theories
In terms of regulations most are made based upon the welfare of children under the
age of 15. This suggests that children under the age of 15 are passive. We could apply
the hypodermic needle theory here as this theory states that its audience are passive
and therefore believe everything they are seeing to be true. This is why a lot of
people say content should be regulated. Some storylines e.g. Teenage pregnancy and
drug abuse could cause moral panic within young people and this is what many
adults fear for children in society.
Adults are usually subconsciously stronger when they view media for example what
they are watching doesn’t usually affect them to a large extent. The ‘uses and
gratification’ theory is relevant here as the media in particular soaps tends to just
provide the adult audience with aspects of ‘personal relationships’ where they can
meet with others to discuss their chosen media product. Additionally the adult
audience are usually able to relate to the characters to a greater extent however they
are aware of the difference between the soap and reality and therefore are not
influenced as heavily by content as a child would be.

9. Regulations- standards of taste and decency
Conclusion
Researching into standards of taste and decency has really made me think about what I
need to be aware of when producing my own soap. For example as not to cause offense
to any audience members we must ensure that if we are to use any type of violence we
do not exploit characters and must ensure the violence is weak/mild in order to
represent reality however not to encourage such behaviour.
When preparing costumes and props we need to make sure they are all deemed
appropriate for our target audience as we wouldn’t want to portray our characters as
bad role models or to influence anyone watching in a negative way.
We need to make sure we comply with the regulations I have just researched in order
for our soap opera trailer to look professional and represent our characters in the way
we intend.