How is the Industry Regulated?

Before any film is released, it needs to be regulated, and therefore the industry needs regulation.

The British Board of Film Classification is the organisation that any film will go through before it is released. Founded in 1912, it has been responsible for classifying films in the appropriate category since then within the UK.
The Video Recordings Act 2010 deemed that it was a statuary requirement to classify films, videos, DVDs and even games.

CLASSIFICATIONS

U - Universal - Suitable for All - A film with this classification should be suitable for every person over the age of four. The main risk with this rating is trying to guess what would upset a younger child, especially at this end of the scale.

PG - Parental Guidance - A film that is suitable for general viewing but some scenes may upset young children. A film under this classification should be fine for kids around eight/nine years and older, but younger kids may be upset by some subjects or images within the film. Thus, parents are required to consider whether or not the film is suitable for their children.

12 and 12a - Anyone younger than 12 should be accompanied by an adult and will not be allowed to see it in theaters otherwise. Parents are required to be responsible about which film with this rating is actually suitable for a child younger than 12. A clear example would be the first "Woman in Black" movie, is it would genuinely terrify younger audiences due to the film's events and plot. A parent would need to read about a movie with this rating and watch certain clips from it before making the decision to show it to their child.

15 - A film with classification should not be shown to children younger than 15 years old, due to the relatively sensitive topics and matters covered, as well as what is said. This can include frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, nudity, scenes of sexual violence, discrimination and drug taking, some of which are common in most 15 rated films.

18 - No rated 18 films are suitable for kids as everything from the 15 rated films is even more commonplace here and with even more graphic descriptions, meaning it will be even worse here.

R18 - legally restricted showings of R18's are only seen in licensed cinemas due to their highly explicit content of sex and drugs, and even during the DVD selling time range, R18's can only be seen in adult and sex shops.

These ratings are used to protect younger audiences from subjects that are unsuitable for their age range.

However, in my view, these classifications are not effective, as children can simply watch the DVD releases bought by the parents, and films are easier to access online now more than ever. Even if age verification is required online, you can still easily bypass the system by lying, and adults can buy DVDs for you.