Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014
The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that applies regulations to R18-rated pornography that is available through paid video on demand or other streaming platforms. Prior to the regulations coming into force, neither Ofcom nor the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) had jurisdiction over such content. In force from 1 December 2014, these regulations were made by the Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred by section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.
| Statutory Instrument | |
Parliament of the United Kingdom | |
| Citation | SI 2014/2916 |
|---|---|
| Introduced by | Ed Vaizey (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) |
| Dates | |
| Made | 4 November 2014 |
| Commencement | 1 December 2014 |
| Other legislation | |
| Made under | Communications Act 2003 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The regulations originally prohibited the depiction of a number of specific sexual acts in online pornography based in the UK. In 2019 the regulations were changed after a review of obscenity laws, legalising the depiction of these acts provided they are performed consensually, do not harm the participants and are unlikely to be viewed by anyone aged under 18.