Thai TV gets a nanny

Television programmes with content requiring parental guidance and advice cannot be aired before 8pm and must be watched by children in the presence of their parents, the government announced on Tuesday. Broadcasts of other programmes rated unsuitable for under-18s must also be pushed back to 10pm.

Deputy Prime Minister and Social Development and Human Security Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said after the cabinet meeting that programmes with a Nor rating should be watched by children only in the presence of parents.

But since most parents did not get home until late in the evening, the cabinet agreed that Nor-rated programmes should not start until 8pm.

The Chor category programmes, considered inappropriate for people under 18, should be aired only after 10pm.

The cabinet last December ruled that all television programmes must be given ratings, although so far there have been no restrictions on when they should be aired.

"If we don't clearly fix the times of programmes considered inappropriate for youngsters, a lot of children may watch them during the day without parental guidance. And the programme ratings system would become meaningless," said Mr Paiboon.

The time restriction for television programmes was proposed to the cabinet by the government-appointed committees on safe and creative media and media policy for social development, Mr Paiboon said.

All television channels should adjust their programming to comply with yesterday's cabinet resolution over the next two or three months, he said.

The Department of Public Relations would be in charge of enforcing the resolution.

In future, television programmes will not be rated by any particular individual.

The cabinet agreed to set up a committee comprising representatives of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, the Culture Ministry, the Education Ministry and civil society to rate programmes.

The audience will also have a role to play, said the deputy prime minister.

Mr Paiboon said television programmes were the primary media outlet and children were heavily exposed to them at home.

On average, Thai children spent about 3.9 hours per day watching TV on weekdays and 5.51 hours per day on weekends