Be more Connell: British television has ‘improved and modernised’ its attitudes to sex and violence, Ofcom study says.

Sex and violence may have become more explicit on British television screens, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to new research from Ofcom.

The regulator’s report into audience attitudes to violence and sexual content on television conducted dozens of in-depth interviews about the importance of this content post-transition and broadly found that both sexual and violent content had “improved and modernised”.

Regarding sexual activity on British screens, the research found that “portrayals were less likely to contain gender stereotypes, the objectification of women or uncritical depictions of exploitative relationships” than previous television dramas.

“Both men and women welcomed what they saw as a more enlightened view of sex and sexual relationships, with these changes generally seen as a positive trend in social attitudes,” it said. “Viewers also feel that intimate scenes are less likely to be presented from an exclusively male perspective by default.”

Like Paul Mescal’s character Connell in BBC Three and Hulu’s Normal people was identified by respondents as an example of a positive role model and focused on the issue of the content of sexual relationships and the sexual empowerment of women in his relationship with Marianne by Daisy Edgar-Jones.

The Normal people Episodes are shown with the warning “Contains strong language and sexual content” on the screen, which is in contrast to an episode of Friends in which the characters discover that they are watching a free porn channel on their television without warning.

Survey respondents said the increase in sexual content began some time ago and coincided with the growth of streaming services that do not have to comply with catchment areas.

“Compelling and intense violence”

When it comes to violence, respondents said that “explicit, intense and realistic violent content” is now considered the norm, but can again play a positive role.

“When presented well, violence appeared to make dramatic content more compelling and intense,” the report said. “Modern portraits were also perceived as more ‘honest’ than the more staged portraits of the past, which more often depicted the negative consequences of violence.”

Ofcom has reported such cases game of thrones And Peaky Blinderswhich “makes dramatic content more engaging, exciting and powerful”.

Viewers’ biggest fears surrounding sexual and violent content focused on the need to protect children, the report continued, “rather than the potential impact it could have on individual adults.”

Ofcom said: “There was a perceived need to protect children from content they may not want to process, as well as a fear of glorifying and normalizing violent behavior in both children and sensitive adults.” In December, Ofcom condemned Sky, after it was accidentally published. one game of thrones Repeat throughout the day without a child safety code that includes “multiple uses of offensive language, including ‘c**t’, ‘f**ck’ and ‘s**t’.”

But parents compared linear television to the Wild West of the Internet, gaming sites and social media and found traditional television a “relatively safe space” in comparison.

The study was the first of its kind in three years. Ofcom said it would use the findings to examine the effectiveness of the current rules and hoped it would help broadcasters better understand audience expectations.