*THIS WEBSITE IS NO LONGER ACTIVE*
Thank you for visiting reformpegi.co.uk Although I am proud of some of the results I achieved while actively working on this project, it is now time for me to step back and focus on other priorities. The content on this site will remain ‘as is’ until the domain expires some time in 2024. The files will then be deleted.
Welcome to the Reform PEGI website, a resource designed to help persuade parents, the government and the video games industry that our children deserve a better age rating system for mobile apps than the one that currently exists.
When I presented my report to the Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (via my local MP), I laid out the four things I believe parents and primary age children deserve:
- A public investigation into (and review of) the role of NICAM and their failure to adequately monitor apps aimed at 3 and 7 year olds.
- A more robust PEGI system or a replacement system for applying age ratings. This should be aimed at reducing the power of developers to make inappropriate content available.
- A move away from recommending unofficial ‘crowd-sourced’ age ratings. (e.g. Net Aware, Common Sense Media)
- More sanctions on developers who misrepresent their apps (suspension from app stores, fines, etc.) to deter abuse of the system.
Unfortunately, the response I received failed to take forward any of these points although it did admit something I have suspected for some time: that there are more apps being created than it is possible to review.
For more on the separate areas I believe need addressing, see the other pages on this site:
- WHY REFORM PEGI? Select this page to find out what I think is wrong with the current IARC and PEGI rating system.
- WHY ONE AGE RATING? Where do you go if you don’t trust PEGI ratings? Select this page to find out why I think current guidance is inadequate and potentially dangerous.
- WHY ENFORCE? What currently happens if a developer lies on their questionnaire to get a PEGI 7 or PEGI 3 rating? This page has information on enforcement.
I have also added the following extra pages:
- REPORT AN APP. If you come across an inappropriate PEGI 3 or PEGI 7 app, this page will allow you to report it to me so that I can report it to NICAM on your behalf and record statistics to highlight how bad the issue is.
- BLOG. Regular updates and content will appear here. There will be a mixture of informative articles, industry news and campaign updates. There are also categories related to the three pages on this site: REFORM, AGE RATINGS and ENFORCEMENT.
- MYTH BUSTER. I will be challenging some of the misconceptions about the app age rating system here.
Thank you for the practical and moral support received so far. Any and all support is highly appreciated. Please bookmark and keep returning to this site as I intend to set up a mailing list, social media campaign guide and more in the coming days, weeks and months.
Note: In order to focus this campaign most effectively I am only addressing PEGI-3 and PEGI-7 ratings for apps on the Google Play store. Although I will occasionally blog about related issues, I believe this area is where parents are being most seriously let down since it impacts the most vulnerable children.
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