The Industry Trust for IP Awareness, which represents the film, TV and video industry in the UK, has joined forces with the British Board of Film Classification to launch a campaign to provide clarity for parents when it comes to accessing films, TV and video safely, legally and age-appropriately on the internet.

This comes as new research commissioned to launch the campaign reveals the extent to which children and teens across the country are downloading or streaming films from illegal pirate websites, with many disturbed by what they are viewing. The online study asked 1,000 UK 11-15-year-olds about their online viewing habits.

- One in five young film fans (18%) admit they have been disturbed by the movies they have watched on pirate websites and two thirds (65%) wish they had checked the film's official age rating first;

- While almost half of children and teens (42%) admit to being aware of rules in place at home designed to restrict what they can and can't look at on the internet, the research shows a quarter (25%) download or stream movies from unofficial sources, which offer no guidance on age ratings;

- A third (37%) of younger children aged 11-12 admit to having recently downloaded or streamed a film rated 15 from a pirate website;

- One in five 11-15 year olds (21%) say they use pirate websites to keep up with what their friends and older siblings are watching;

- More than a quarter of 11-15 year olds (27%) say their parents don't know what films they are watching online, and a third (32%) wouldn't feel comfortable with younger siblings copying their viewing habits.

With nearly half (45%) of 11-15 year olds spending up to one hour each day watching movies-on-the-move via smartphones and tablets during the summer holidays, parents are being encouraged to take advantage of free tools and advice to help them take control of what their children are watching and to visit FindAnyFilm.com to find films safely and legally online.

"Public concern around what children are watching online has never been higher, making age-appropriate guidance even more critical. The film and TV industry believes education has a role to play," said Liz Bales, Director General of the Industry Trust for IP Awareness. "We provide tools to educate families around legitimate and age-appropriate source of film and enable parents and guardians to talk to their children to help them navigate the online landscape safely and legally."

The national media campaign is fronted by TV actress and mum of three Tina Hobley (pictured).

Story filed 10.08.13