Strengthening the Protection of Rights for Children and Adolescents Appearing on Broadcasts

Korea Communications Commission Implements 'Standard Production Guidelines for Rights Protection'

Until now, it was common in broadcasting sites not to inform child and adolescent participants in advance about the program's planning intent or the way it would be conducted. They were often forced to make remarks or perform acts that could cause sexual discomfort without prior consent. There were also quite a few cases demanding excessive exposure.

The "Standard Production Guidelines for the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Child and Adolescent Participants in Broadcasting" to guarantee their health rights will be enforced starting today (the 18th). This guideline was prepared in December last year through discussions between the Korea Communications Commission, broadcasters, related associations, and relevant government departments.

According to the guidelines, producers must explain the planning intent, filming format, and main content to child and adolescent participants and their guardians in advance and obtain their consent. The filming time for child and adolescent participants must comply with relevant laws such as the "Act on the Development of the Popular Culture and Arts Industry," and remarks or acts that may cause sexual discomfort are prohibited. Child and adolescent participants must be respected as individuals and appropriate language should be used accordingly. Inappropriate physical contact is also fundamentally prohibited.

The Korea Communications Commission stated, "To ensure the guidelines are properly established, experts or supervisors will be placed at broadcasting production sites to protect the human rights of child and adolescent participants and recommend concrete measures for implementation." They added, "We plan to listen to various voices from the broadcasting production field and cooperate with broadcasters and production teams to find better measures so that child and adolescent participants in broadcasting can feel the effects of improvement."