Great news: our Youth Panel is expanding! We’re looking to recruit new members aged 16 - 21 to join our new look Youth Panel.
BBFC Young Adult is the oldest strand of our youth panel and is open to all young people aged 16 - 21. We believe that everyone should have their say when it comes to setting the standards that underpin our age ratings. This includes young people whose voices are central to ensuring our age ratings continue to help other teens and young adults make informed and empowered decisions about what content they choose to watch.
BBFC Young Adult members will join our existing youth panel members. As members, you can expect to meet lots of industry professionals and learn about the different types of jobs that exist in the UK film industry; view a range of content and feed your views directly back to our compliance team (who rate the films!); attend meetings at the BBFC with our President and CEO; be offered opportunities to attend BBFC events such as panel discussions; represent the BBFC at film industry events, including film premieres; and, if happy to, members will be encouraged to represent the BBFC across social media platforms and media, including on TV and radio.
You will join our fantastic group of existing youth panel members. Our Young Adult strand meets six times a year; three in person, at our offices in Soho, London, (usually at weekends, or outside of term time) and three virtual meetings over Google Hangouts.
The BBFC will cover travel expenses and basic accommodation costs for one panelist and one accompanying adult to support your attendance at our in-person events. We will also cover the costs associated with any additional involvement in youth panel activities (for example, we will cover the cost of cinema tickets to support the creation of social media content).
We’ve found that our panel members who immerse themselves the most in our Youth Panel find the most reward in it. While being part of the BBFC Youth Panel, you are acting as our ambassadors, and we’d love you to represent us across BBFC social media channels or industry events you may attend.
By joining the Youth Panel, we expect panel members to attend the majority of events in the year, e.g. 2 out of 3 in person events and 2 out of 3 virtual events. These events are a great way for you to meet new friends, develop a range of skills and grow your network.
At these events, we will be capturing content for our social media and we ask that panel members are happy to appear in this.
The tenure for each panelist is two full school years.
To apply, please complete this application form. We would also like you to send us a short video, no longer than two minutes, of yourself - which should cover the following:
Introduce yourselves - tell us who you are, where you’re from and how old you are
Tell us about your favourite film. What is it called? What’s the age rating? Why do you love it?
Why do you want to join our Youth Panel?
All applicants under 18 must have a parent or guardian submit their application on their behalf.
Please note that shortlisted applicants will be asked to interview after school hours during the week commencing 23 March 2026.
To be a BBFC Young Adults panellist, you must be a UK resident born between 01/09/2004 - 31/08/2010.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 11 March 2026. Please send your application form and video to youthpanel@bbfc.co.uk. If you have not heard back from us by Wednesday 14 April 2026, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.
Find your filming spot - Pick a quiet spot that is tidy and has good light. Near a window for natural light is usually best. Make sure we can see and hear you clearly—ditch the background noise and chat!
Be you and let your passion show - We want to see the real you. Look into the camera like you're talking to your friends. Get excited about your favourite film and why you think you'd be a great panel member. Most importantly, enjoy making the video!
Keep it snappy - Your video needs to be under two minutes—so time is tight! Try saying what you want to say a few times before you hit record. If you mess up, no worries, just start again.
Get a hand with the tech - Ask a friend, flatmate, or family member to help you film. They can make sure you're properly in the shot and that the sound is clear.
Watch it back before you send it - Finished recording? Give your video a quick watch. Is the picture clear? Is everything you said easy to hear? If it looks and sounds amazing, you're all set to send it our way.
