BBFC launches new Safer Screens Forum to champion age-appropriate viewing experiences, online and offline

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has announced the establishment of the BBFC Safer Screens Forum, a new advisory group dedicated to tackling the risks posed to UK audiences – including children – by harmful content, both online and offline. 

The Forum brings together a number of the UK’s leading charities to share knowledge related to child protection, mental wellbeing and online safety issues, in line with the BBFC’s core mission to protect children from potentially harmful content and empower audiences to make safe and informed viewing decisions, wherever they access content.

The Forum’s inaugural meeting was held in November 2025, focusing on the accessibility of harmful online content and the future regulation of online pornography. The Office of the Children's Commissioner for England presented findings from their report, ‘Sex is kind of broken now’, which highlights the scale at which children are exposed to violent and abusive pornography – including via social media. This was followed by a briefing from the BBFC and PSHE Association on the launch of new teaching resources to help young people think critically about the potential harms of unregulated online pornography.

The Forum will meet twice a year, with its next meeting scheduled for May 2026.

Dominique Heckels, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, BBFC and Chair of the BBFC Safer Screens Forum: “Technology and screens are now an inseparable part of daily life. While this brings enormous benefits, it also presents serious challenges—from online harms and excessive screen time to growing concerns about mental health and digital wellbeing. These are not issues any one organisation can solve alone. Through the BBFC Safer Screens Forum, we are bringing organisations together to share expertise and promote best practice, with the aim of ensuring age-appropriate experiences for everyone in the UK, wherever and however they access content. As the digital world evolves, we remain committed to ensuring that safety, transparency and trust sit at the heart of the screen experience.”

Zainab Hannan, Policy Officer, Health and Harms at Barnardo's, said: "We’re thrilled to be part of the Safer Screens Forum, working with partners to share our expertise and knowledge.

“At Barnardo’s, we too often see the serious and lasting consequences of children being exposed to violent, abusive or dangerous content – and so we are looking forward to working together with partners to make children’s lives safer, both online and offline.”

Katie Freeman-Tayler, Head of Policy and Research at Internet Matters, said: “Children and young people’s online safety is a shared responsibility, so something like the Safer Screens Forum allows us to connect and work together to improve children’s online experiences.”

Jonathan Baggaley, Chief Executive of the PSHE Association, said: “It’s never been more important for us to think about how we create an online environment where the things that young people see are appropriate for their age and aren’t going to cause harm.”

Felicity Oswald OBE, CEO Girlguiding, said: “As the leading youth organisation dedicated to girls, we hear first-hand how easy it is for harmful content to be accessed and the negative impact this has. 77% of 7–21-year-old girls and young women have experienced an online harm in the last year, with incidents of seeing unwanted sexual images increasing in the last three years. The majority (79%) tell us they believe they can access too much harmful content online. We’re proud to be part of this new forum alongside leading organisations in the sector and look forward to working together to tackle the accessibility of harmful content, both online and offline.”