Kidulthood 

Kidulthood is a drama about teenage life in contemporary London. The OFLC written 

decision records that the film contains representations of violence that often seem 

gratuitous and that of particular concern ‘is the use of intimidation and physical and sexual 

manipulation, particularly of young women, that if emulated in real life could lead to bullying 

and domestic abuse’ (OFLC ref. 601904, 2006). Bullying had prominence in participants’ 

minds because of recent media reports of serious text- and cyber-bullying incidents. 

Similar to the concerns expressed about Hostel, participants worried about the effect viewing 

Kidulthood would have on young people – that they might become fearful or upset, or emulate 

the behaviour of the protagonists – ‘getting ideas’ about how to bully and humiliate others. 

However, as Morrison et al’s findings also show, perceived levels of violence are mitigated to 

some extent for audiences when no blood or serious injury is shown, such as broken bones. 

74 

Kidulthood (2006) 

Running time: 2mins 20s 

DVD classifi cation: R18 Contains violence, offensive language, drug use and sex scenes 

Free-to-air television rating: N/A 

Pay television rating: N/A 

Shown to:  Adult participants (18+) 

Synopsis: 

In this clip from the feature fi lm Kidulthood, the setting is a British high school classroom, 

before class starts. A group of girls burst in through the door. They are verbally abusing, and 

pushing, another girl. The group shoves the girl against the wall, kneeing her in the stomach 

and slapping her in the face, as other students look on. Outside, some older boys are taunting 

a small group of younger boys, pushing them and challenging them. They slap the younger 

boys and take a cellphone belonging to one of them. Back in the classroom, the girls continue 

to abuse their victim, calling her ‘slag’, ‘bitch’, and ‘virgin’ before punching her in the face. The 

girl falls to the fl oor. Outside, the leader of the male bullies gets two of the younger boys 

to hug and takes a picture of them on the stolen cellphone. When one of the younger boys 

protests, he is kicked and beaten. In the classroom, the violence continues as the bullies hit 

the girl as she sits on the ground. Other students look on in horror. The younger boys enter 

the classroom and the bullied girl escapes. Her tormentors threaten the rest of the class that 

they’ll get the same treatment if they tell anyone what has happened. 

Overall perceptions 

Few of the participants who viewed the clip had seen it before, and some adults were unsure 

of the intended audience – they did not know if the film was aimed at teenagers, or adults over 

18. The documentary style of the cinematography also confused viewers – were they watching 

‘real life’ or depicted bullying with actors? Participants felt that the level of bullying was 

extreme, and while some considered that type of bullying ‘happened here in New Zealand’, 

others were not so sure. The strong language and use of slang also contributed to the violence. 

All the participants were uncomfortable with the behaviour of the bullies, and empathised 

with the victims, both male and female. They commented on the technique of cutting 

between scenes and how this increased the sense of drama, and how spectators in the 

classroom and the outside scenes either colluded in the violence or did nothing to stop it. 

They also commented on the humiliation, and how the bullies – male bullies in particular – 

turned on one of their own, as well as the victims. Most adults found watching the bullying 

uncomfortable and realistic, and while they recognised they themselves were safe from this 

type of violence, they worried that younger people, such as their children and grandchildren, 

might not be. 

... it was a bit uncomfortable with the punching. I felt sorry for the victims. I didn’t want 

to watch it – and because of  the constant shouting it was quite intimidating. The level of  

violence was too bad for television or a movie. 

Male, 18-24 years old, Pakeha, Auckland region, bulletin board 

I thought that it would be terrible if  this happened to my children and wondered how realistic 

it was, ie does this sort of  thing really happen? It probably does and I felt sick to know that 

children were bullied in these ways.   

Male, 60-75 years old, Pakeha, Canterbury region, bulletin board

75 

RESPONSES 

Perceptions of the degree of violence 

Many participants considered the level of violence in this clip to be a big ‘v’ for the following 

reasons: 

• the cinematography was realistic (shots from the point of view of the victim and 

handheld camera action) 

• the acting and pace was realistic (to the point that many participants were not sure if it 

was real or not) 

• the strong language contributed to the violence and was effectively used to humiliate 

the victim, for example, ‘go on bitch, tell everybody you’re a virgin’. 

• participants could identify with the situation (either from being bullied in the past, or 

being bullies themselves and realising the effect of their behaviour on others). 

Participants’ perceptions of the degree of violence in the clip were mitigated to some extent 

by three factors. There was no blood or serious injury such as broken bones shown, the 

bullying was perceived to take place overseas and ‘doesn’t happen here’, and weapons were 

not used. 

I am OK with this level of  violence – it seemed to be part of  a wider story that was looking 

at a serious issue and was therefore in context, and was not gratuitous.    

Male, 40-59 years old, Pakeha, Wellington region, bulletin board 

Demographic differentiation 

While bullying has been around for many years and older participants had experienced 

bullying, they were concerned that the level or degree of violence in contemporary bullying 

had increased. Watching the clip confirmed their suspicions or made them more aware of it. 

Many younger females classified it as a massive ‘v’ – they saw the violence as both physical 

and psychological abuse. While they were uncomfortable watching it, some felt it had 

educative merit as a way of discussing the effect and impact of bullying behaviour. 

Male and female participants considered the violence in Kidulthood to be concerning because 

both genders were depicted as both victims and perpetrators. 

Classifi cation and rationale 

Participants tended to classify this clip as R16, R18 or for adults only. While some were 

confused about the intended audience for the film (some participants thought it was aimed 

at secondary school students), they did not consider it suitable for anyone under 16 years of 

age due to the strong language and the violent behaviour of the characters. 

Participants felt there should be a consistent classification across DVD, film, pay and free-to- 

air television formats. For the internet and mobile phone downloads, participants considered 

a warning and labelling of the content sufficient, as they did not believe enforcement was 

either practical or necessary. A few participants thought the clip had educative value. They 

felt that giving the clip a special classification or dispensation when viewed for educational 

purposes in the appropriate setting would be a positive way for young people to view the clip.

VIEWING VIOLENCE 

76 

Group discussion participant classifi cations 

Note: Only adult group discussion participants answered a self-completion questionnaire. 

Film and DVD classifi cations 

Across both audio-visual formats of film and DVD, many group discussion participants 

classified the Kidulthood clip as R16 (for each audio-visual format, 18 of the 51 participants 

classified this clip as R16). 

Classifi cation Pay television 

G – approved for general viewing 1 

PG – parental guidance recommended for younger viewers 5 

M – suitable for mature audiences 16 years and over 15 

16 – people under 16 should not view 12 

18 – people under 18 should not view 11 

16-18* 1 

18-not broadcast* 1 

Not broadcast 4 

No answer 1 

Total 51 

* Some participants applied a range of classification options, or a classification not used in the 

format under consideration. 

CLASSIFICATION FILM DVD 

G – suitable for general audiences - 1 

PG – parental guidance recommended for younger viewers 4 4 

M – suitable for mature audiences 16 years and over 4 3 

R13 – restricted to persons 13 years and over 6 7 

R15 – restricted to persons 15 years and over 3 4 

R16 – restricted to persons 16 years and over 18 18 

R18 – restricted to persons 18 years and over 11 11 

R16-R18* 1 1 

R restricted to a particular group or purpose 2 - 

RP16 restricted to persons 16 years and over unless  - - 

with a parent/guardian 

R18 censored or cut 1 1 

Censored or cut 1 1 

Total 51 51 

* Some participants applied a range of classification options, or a classification not used in the 

format under consideration. 

Female participants were more likely than males to classify this clip as R16 for both film and 

DVD (12 of the 25 female participants gave this classification compared to six of the 26 

male participants). 

Pay television classifi cations 

For pay television, group discussion participants tended to classify Kidulthood as M (15 of the 

51 participants), closely followed by the 16 classification (12 of the 51 participants), and the 

18 classification (11 of the 51 participants). 

Four of the 51 participants felt it should not be broadcast on pay television. 

77 

RESPONSES 

Free-to-air television classifi cations 

If Kidulthood were screened on free-to-air television, many group discussion participants 

would have classified this clip as AO 9.30pm (18 of the 51 participants). A further 13 of the 

51 participants classified it as PGR, and ten of the 51 participants classified it as AO. 

Seven of the 51 participants would not want it screened on free-to-air television. 

CLASSIFICATION FREE-TO-AIR 

G: General – Programmes which exclude material likely to be unsuitable for children. Programmes may not - 

necessarily be designed for child viewers but must not contain material likely to alarm or distress them. 

G programmes may be screened at any time. 

PGR: Parental Guidance Recommended – Programmes containing material more suited for mature audiences 13 

but not necessarily unsuitable for child viewers when subject to the guidance of a parent or an adult. 

PGR programmes may be screened between 9am and 4pm, and after 7pm until 6am. 

AO: Adults Only – Programmes containing adult themes and directed primarily at mature audiences.  10 

AO programmes may be screened between midday and 3pm on weekdays (except during school and 

public holidays as designated by the Ministry of Education) and after 8.30pm until 5am. 

PGR-AO* 1 

AO 9.30pm: Adults Only 9.30pm-5am – Programmes containing stronger material or special elements which fall 18 

outside the AO classifi cation. These programmes may contain a greater degree of sexual activity, potentially 

offensive language, realistic violence, sexual violence, or horrifi c encounters. 

AO 9.30pm-not broadcast* 1 

Not broadcast 7 

No answer 1 

Total 51 

* Some participants applied a range of classification options, or a classification not used in the format under consideration. 

Males were more likely than females to classify this clip as AO 9.30pm for free-to-air 

television (12 of the 26 male participants gave this classification compared to six of the 25 

female participants). However, females were more likely than males to not want this clip 

broadcast on free-to-air television (six of the 25 females did not want it broadcast compared 

to one male). 

There was a serious level of  violence. I’d rate it 16 and over because 16 is school age, and 

school kids this age wouldn’t think that it’s okay.    

Male, 25 to 49 years, Asian, Wellington, group discussion 

Perceptions of realistic depictions of violence 

When viewing this clip participants did not always immediately recognise it as acting. This is 

possibly because none of the actors were ‘big names’. The realism of the clip added to the 

degree of perceived violence. As bullying was something most participants had seen or taken 

part in in real life (either as victims or perpetrators), they thought the clip accurately reflected 

their reality while others thought it was at the more extreme end of the scale. 

Perceptions of harm from viewing the clip 

While watching the clip, participants experienced a range of emotional responses such 

as being shocked, empathising with the victims, feeling like a spectator, and wondering 

if they themselves would get involved if they saw this kind of violence in real life. They 

VIEWING VIOLENCE 

also despaired as they thought that this was perhaps the kind of behaviour being inflicted 

on younger people they knew. Some saw themselves as the bully and recalled their own 

behaviour at school with shame and embarrassment. They considered there would be harm 

to others, particularly younger viewers, who might see the clip, who might also experience 

fear, become upset, or relive their own experiences as bullying victims. Worse, they thought 

that some younger viewers might experience a change in attitude or behaviour by ‘getting 

ideas’ about how to bully and humiliate others effectively. They were thinking about bullies 

imitating the behaviour and the impact therefore on people they might victimise. 

Censorship and freedom to view 

One of the older female participants in the groups considered this clip warranted censoring. 

She felt that it had no purpose other than to highlight bullying behaviour, and that bullies 

did not deserve to be shown on screen at all, as this somehow sanctioned bullying behaviour. 

One of the adult male participants also thought that the clip was so shocking that it should 

be cut. 

Other participants considered that within the appropriate context, and with classification 

restrictions in place, the scene did not require censoring from the film as a whole. 

As with other clips, adults saw themselves as being personally responsible for what they 

viewed, as long as they were given the information to make this decision.

http://www.censorship.govt.nz/pdfword/Viewing%20Violence%20Book%20Oct%2008_Lo%20Res.pdf