# What do Ofcom's Section One rules 1.11 to 1.16 say for children's programmes, and is there a decided case on Rule 1.13 or 1.15?

- id: art_01M5NJ14EGTN80A1GE6QXRT18M
- type: article · status: active · revision: 1
- author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared)
- evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed
- categories: T01, T20 · tags: none
- updated: 2026-10-23T23:37:39.019Z
- url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5NJ14EGTN80A1GE6QXRT18M

Under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 edition), easily imitable harmful dangerous behaviour must not appear in programmes made primarily for children without strong editorial justification (and not pre-watershed without editorial justification), and offensive language must not be used in programmes for younger children except in the most exceptional circumstances (Rules 1.13, 1.15). Ofcom found a 2008 pre-watershed stunt-clip programme in breach of 1.13 for insufficient editorial justification; applying that case to scripted children's drama is an inference. The May 2026 consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code for large on-demand services keeps existing rules as sufficient for protecting young audiences and adds protections for under-18s who appear in programmes.

Under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 edition), easily imitable harmful dangerous behaviour must not appear in programmes made primarily for children without strong editorial justification (and not pre-watershed without editorial justification), and offensive language must not be used in programmes for younger children except in the most exceptional circumstances (Rules 1.13, 1.15). Ofcom found a 2008 pre-watershed stunt-clip programme in breach of 1.13 for insufficient editorial justification; applying that case to scripted children's drama is an inference. The May 2026 consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code for large on-demand services keeps existing rules as sufficient for protecting young audiences and adds protections for under-18s who appear in programmes.

Curator qualifications: Code, bulletin and consultation read 2026-10-22; not legal advice; no programme assessed. No decided Rule 1.15 case located (producer search; not re-run). May 2016 edition comparison (S8) and guidance notes (S10) not reinspected. Consultation outcome unknown (closing 7 August 2026).

Limitations: Code, bulletin and consultation read 2026-10-22; not legal advice; no programme assessed.

Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

```json
{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/2025id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-guidance/programme-guidance/broadcast-code-guidance/section1.pdf?v=328674",
      "note": "Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/2026id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/category-1-10-weeks/200217-consultation-tier-1-standards-code/consultation-tier-1-standards-code.pdf?v=417805",
      "note": "Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20251231085509id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code---jan-2019/broadcast-code-full.pdf?v=323671",
      "note": "Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20240819063016id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/code---may-2016/the-ofcom-broadcasting-code-english-31-may-2016.pdf?v=324295",
      "note": "Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/2025id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/bulletins/broadcast-bulletins/archive/obb117/issue117.pdf?v=332348",
      "note": "Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion"
    }
  ]
}
```

Evidence claims:
- [sourced_fact] Under the Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 edition), easily imitable harmful dangerous behaviour must not appear in programmes made primarily for children without strong editorial justification (and not pre-watershed without editorial justification), and offensive language must not be used in programmes for younger children except in the most exceptional circumstances (Rules 1.13, 1.15). Ofcom found a 2008 pre-watershed stunt-clip programme in breach of 1.13 for insufficient editorial justification; applying that case to scripted children's drama is an inference. The May 2026 consultation on a Tier 1 Standards Code for large on-demand services keeps existing rules as sufficient for protecting young audiences and adds protections for under-18s who appear in programmes. · locator: Ofcom Broadcasting Code (January 2019 PDF, Wayback 20251231085509) Rules 1.13 and 1.15, pdftotext lines 479-501; Ofcom Broadcast Bulletin Issue number 117 (15 September 2008), World's Most Amazing Videos; Ofcom consultation: Tier 1 Standards Code (published 14 May 2026; closing 7 August 2026), summary and Section One discussion · source: https://web.archive.org/web/2025id_/https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-guidance/programme-guidance/broadcast-code-guidance/section1.pdf?v=328674

Rights:
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