Censorship

Censorship is the name for the process or idea of keeping things like graphic images or obscene words from an audience. This is done in the media for people's safety, by people I mean children or people who might be exposed to the possibility of being harmed by these words or images, either physically or emotionally. It is run by the editors in media outlets. 

There are actually many things that might need to be censored as they may be considered harmful and inappropriate for some audiences. Censorship often occurs on TV when there is extreme violence, explicit sex scenes or other images that are unsuitable to be shown. However, these scenes are allowed to be shown on TV after a certain time. This is called watershed, this was created to protect viewers from seeing images that are inappropriate for them. After 9pm movies or shows that are of 15 certificate can be shown, this then moves up to 18 certificate after 10pm.

Censorship is also used in song lyrics, regularly there are two different types of one song; clean and dirty versions. Dirty versions of songs are the original ones, this version includes of many swear words and tasteless lyrics which people might find offensive, for this reason a another version is created so that it can intrigue a wider audience. The clean version does not include any swear words, these versions are produced so that they can be played on the radio, as it appeals to all audiences, this means the song is likely to get much more popular as it can be played everywhere. Clean versions of songs are created by replacing any rude language with acceptable words, an example of this is in the song "freak of the week" by Krept and Konan. Words like "bitches", "ass" and "fuck the feds" are all taken out in the clean version of the song so that it can be played in public places and the radio.

Another type of censorship is the age ratings for movies, there are six main types of age ratings used in the UK. Here is the list of them and what they stand for:
U - universal, suitable for all audiences.
PG - parental guidance, suitable for general viewing, parent/guardian should be present as some scenes might be unsuitable for some children.
12A - no one younger than 12 can can watch a 12A film at the cinema if they're not accompanied by an adult.
12 - contains material that isn't suitable for a child under 12.
15 - not suitable for people aged under 15.
18 - not suitable for people aged under 18.
These age ratings are created for the safety of the viewer, so that they don't see anything they aren't supposed to at their age.