Kijkwijzer DVD sign
Kijkwijzer (translated as "viewing guide"), also known as Cinecheck in other languages, is a rating system in the Netherlands, developed and used by the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media. It is also used on SkyShowtime and Max.
Kijkwijzer present logo
History[]
Early 20th Century: Pre-Kijkwijzer Era[]
1918: Universal, Paramount, and Gaumont films were released in the Netherlands. Dutch citizens working at the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) were laid off, leading to the creation of the Nederlandse Filmkeuring. Initially, this system had only two ratings: AL (all ages) and 18.
1940-1969: Adjustments to Age Ratings[]
1940: A new H rating was introduced for films suited for viewers aged 16 and above. This rating was renamed X in 1945.
1969: The rating system was expanded to include a 12 rating, and the X rating was revised to 16. This was an early effort to better tailor the system to different age groups.
1970s: Family-Oriented Changes[]
1974: Due to the release of Jaws, which caused debates about age-appropriate ratings, the Nederlandse Filmkeuring decided to eliminate the 18 rating. They gave Jaws a 12 (later 16) rating despite its intensity, suggesting a shift in how content for teens was viewed.
1975: To cater to young children, particularly with the preparation of Sesamstraat, the Nederlandse Filmkeuring added the K rating, which was designed for kids aged 7 and under. It marked a growing attention to family programming.
Late 1970s-1980s: Home Video and TV Expansion[]
1978: The Nederlandse Filmkeuring partnered with RTL and Veronica for television broadcasting. Films shown on TV had to include the proper age classification, ensuring alignment with the ratings used for cinema releases.
1985: The Nederlandse Filmkeuring developed a home video rating system, with a colored diamond design to indicate age appropriateness: green for AL (all ages), blue for 12, red for 16. In French-speaking areas, the "AL" rating was labelled as TOUS, with a distinctive tall "T" in uppercase and normal lowercase "OUS". The use of circles for rating labels in France was phased out due to the SECAM system, but BVF in Belgium retained the circle design for films and home video.
1991: The Nederlandse Filmkeuring collaborated with BAF to create short 5-second idents for home video releases, helping consumers quickly identify age-appropriate content.
1995: These idents received a visual revamp with a fade-in and fade-out design, marking a new style of presentation. The AL/MG rating was introduced to indicate films where young children under 6 should be accompanied by an adult.
2000-2001: The Birth of Kijkwijzer[]
2000: As part of a major revamp, NICAM (Nederlands Instituut voor de Classificatie van Audiovisuele Media) purchased the rights to the Nederlandse Filmkeuring system, phasing out BAF/BREIN's role in age classification. A new system called Kijkwijzer was introduced, aligning more closely with modern audience needs.
2001: Kijkwijzer officially launched on February 21, 2001, with its first appearance in cinemas (for the release of MG6), followed by television adoption in April, and home video in October. In May, Kijkwijzer and BAF/BREIN collaborated on a company intro with a branded jingle and website link to enhance public awareness. The jingle was replaced by November, as the system continued to refine its presentation. It was expanded to have red ratings, yellow ratings, white ratings, blue ratings and specially for MTV Networks Benelux's children's channels, the ratings painted like the old Nickelodeon "s'plat" logo from the 80s.
Ratings[]
Suitable for all ages (full name in Dutch: alle leeftijden, which, in English, means all ages), containing no content that parents would find inappropriate for children under 6 years of age. This does not specifically mean a children's movie or programme. Equivalent to TV-Y or TV-G (TV) and G (movies). Examples: Go Diego Go: Underwater Mystery (Paramount), Dora Undercover Dora (Paramount), My Dad the Rockstar (Company of Kids), De Legende van de Titanic (DFW), Pipo & the P-P-P-Pearl Knight (Universal), Mega Mindy & Het Zwarte Kristal (Studio100), Half Shell Heroes Blast of the Past (Paramount), Dennis (Company of Kids), Wickie und die starken Männer (80s anime) (DFW, later Studio100 as of 2009), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Original DVD/BD release) (Sony), My Little Pony: Winter Wishes Festival (Bright Vision), Chuck and Friends (Bright Vision), The Sandcastle (Company of Kids), Hello Kitty (BrightVision), The Fairly OddParents (Company of Kids/CNR Kids/Nickelodeon/Paramount+), Buzz en Poppy (Company of Kids) and Tineke Schouten 25 Jaar (CNR)- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 6 jaar: Persons under 6 years must be accompanied by an adult. Replaced the older MG6 ("Meekijken Gewenst"), where parental guidance was recommended for viewers younger than 6 years. This does not specifically mean a children's movie or programme. Equivalent to TV-Y7(-FV) (TV) and soft PG (movies). Examples: Brother Bear 2 (Disney), Ice Age 3 (Fox), Galactic Football (Company of Kids), Kart Racer (DFW), Het Laatste Nieuws Presenteert: Kids DVD (Bridge), Adventure Time (Cartoon Network) [most of the seasons], Winx Club (Company of Kids) and TMNT franchise (almost all entries)
- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 9 jaar: Persons under 9 years must be accompanied by an adult. Now a standard rating. First used for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban because of very frightening elements that were too strong for the 6 rating, but were not of enough intensity to warrant a 12 rating. Equivalent to soft TV-PG (TV) and hard PG (movies). Examples: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner Bros) and Adventure Time (Cartoon Network) [seasons 1, 2, 7, 9]
- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 12 jaar: Persons under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult; broadcasting such material is not allowed before 20:00 (8:00 p.m.). Equivalent to hard TV-PG or soft TV-14 (TV) and soft PG-13 (movies). Examples: Costa! (AFilm) and 24 (Fox)
- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 14 jaar: Persons under 14 years must be accompanied by an adult; broadcasting such material is not allowed before 20:00 (8:00 p.m.). Equivalent to hard TV-14 (TV) and hard PG-13 (movies). Introduced in January 2020. Example: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 16 jaar: Not accessible for children younger than 16 years; broadcasting such material is not allowed before 22:00 (10:00 p.m.), but in 2020 it was changed to 20:00 (8:00 p.m.). Equivalent to soft TV-MA (TV) and R (movies). NC-17 rated movies also are made into this classification. Examples: Brotherhood of the Wolf (AFilm), The Heavy (Indies), Jaws (Universal) and Chinatown (CIC)
- Mogelijk schadelijk tot 18 jaar: Not accessible for children younger than 16 years; functionally the 16 and 18 ratings are identical in terms of restriction (the latter; (used in rare, exceptional cases) is simply an indicator of the upmost, strongest content / material) - broadcasting such material is not allowed before midnight. Equivalent to hard TV-MA (TV) and NC-17 (movies). Introduced in January 2020. Examples: The Painted Bird (the first film to receive this classification) and Saw X
There are also other ratings:
- Not approved yet (Nog niet gekeurd): The rating to indicate that a production has not been rated yet. Mostly seen on cinema sites.
- AL/Tous: Same as the AL rating. It is used in Belgium. Tous is used in the Francophone part of Belgium, the equivalent of the former enfants admis (EA) rating. First used in 2006 on Disney, MGM, Warner, Fox and Paramount discs, 2008 for Dutch FilmWorks.
Mostly, these icons are used along with other symbols, displaying if a movie contains any one of the following: violence, sexual content, frightening scenes, drug or alcohol abuse, discriminatory elements or coarse language.
Content descriptors[]
Similar to PEGI, Kijkwijzer uses content descriptors to describe content in the media.
| Icon | Content descriptor | Explanation | Corresponding age ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Violence (Geweld) | The production contains violence. In a 6 rated production, violence is soft, like slapstick, cartoon violence. In a 12 rated production, small injuries are shown and knocking someone out. 16 rated productions contain a lot of blood and torture. 18 rated productions contain extreme violence, such as sadistic violence or graphic sexual violence. The descriptor was formerly used with a 9 rating. | 6, (9), 12, 16, 18 |
|
Fear (Angst) | The production contains frightening elements. In a 6 rated production, it is not more than dangerous situations and unrealistic creatures (like monsters). In a 9 rated production, it's like a 6 rated production but more scary. Small injuries are shown. In a 12 rated production, injuries are shown, jumpscares and very frightened people in a dangerous situation. In a 14 rated production, it contains horror elements in an unrealistic setting. In a 16 rated production, horror is shown. | 6, 9, 12, 14, 16 |
|
Sex (Seks) | The production contains sexual content. In a 12 rated production, there may be sexually oriented language, sexualized nudity or moderate sexual activity. In a 14 rated production, sex may be depicted combined with drug use. In a 16 rated production, actual sex or realistically simulated sex may be shown. 18 ratings can also be used for pornography (since 2020). | 12, 14, 16, 18 |
|
Coarse language (Grof taalgebruik) | Coarse language is used. It is the only category that does not decide the age rating. The reason for this is that coarse language can be harmful to anyone and it is hard to bond coarse language to an age. | AL, 6, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18 |
|
Alcohol, drugs and tobacco use (Drugs en alcoholmisbruik) | Alcohol, drugs and tobacco are used. In a 12 and 14 rated production, there is hard drug use or an overuse of alcohol, tobacco or soft drugs. When those things are admired, or no negative sides are shown, it will result in a 16 rating. | 12, 14, 16 |
|
Discrimination (Discriminatie) | The production contains discrimination, for example on the basis of race, religion, sexual preference, sex or nationality. | 12 |
|
Dangerous challenges or stunts (Gevaarlijke challenges of stunts) | Exclusively used for videos on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to warn viewers if there are depictions of people doing stunts or challenges that are dangerous if copied. Introduced in 2020. | N/A |
Legal enforcement of the Kijkwijzer system[]
The Kijkwijzer system alone bears advisory powers only, but laws allow the legal enforcement of them. Although in use in several countries, the Netherlands is the only country to legally enforce Kijkwijzer ratings. Specifically, legal restrictions apply to all films that have been given a "16" age rating by the Kijkwijzer system. According to Wetboek van Strafrecht art. 240A, it is forbidden to admit such a person to a screening, or rent out, sell, or give the movie (DVD, video, computer file, etc.) to a minor who is below the age of 16 years; individuals or businesses in breach of the law are subject to a prison sentence of up to one year and/or a fine of the fourth category (specifically €22,500).
Kijkwijzer 18-rated features are also subject to a legal age restriction of 16 years.
Admission policy for cinemas[]
As of 22 August 2012, the admission policy for cinemas in the Netherlands is as follows:
- For Kijkwijzer 6, 9, 12, and 14 rated films: persons under the relevant age limit - specified on the rating - may be admitted only if accompanied by an adult.
- For Kijkwijzer 16 and 18 rated films: no persons under 16 may be admitted under any circumstance in accordance of article 240A of the Wetboek van Strafrecht. Persons must give proof of their age prior to admission. (Functionally both the 16 and 18 ratings are identical in terms of restriction).
Use of the Kijkwijzer system in other countries[]
The Kijkwijzer system has also been authorised for use in Belgium.
In Belgium, Kijkwijzer replaced the older KT/EA (Kinderen toegelaten/enfants admis), KNT/ENA (Kinderen niet toegelaten/enfants non admis) and the newer KT/EA 12 (Kinderen toegelaten vanaf 12/enfants admis depuis 12) labels.
The major difference between usage of the Kijkwijzer system between Belgium and the Netherlands, is that all age ratings are entirely advisory in Belgium. So, in theory, in Belgium a person of any age could be admitted to a film carrying any rating, whereas in the Netherlands a person under 16 cannot be admitted to a screening of a 16- or 18-rated film.
In Europe, the streaming services SkyShowtime and Max use Kijkwijzer ratings for all titles regardless of country.
In September 2024, Disney+ began using Kijkwijzer's content descriptors for new titles in almost all of Europe, with Agatha All Along being among the first [1]
Trivia[]
- Kijkwijzer is tame with coarse language alone. Using it alone can only result in a film being passed AL (which would mean all ages admitted) (in case for Disney+'s pan-European content systems, 0+), while the descriptors for sex, discrimination and drug/alcohol abuse, if used, always result in a classification of 12 or higher. when coders forgot to untick the AL checkbox, the movie got 6 with only coarse language, such as The Simpsons
- The rating system's name can mean two things: "watching indicator" and "watch wiser". This was done intentionally, as shown by the explanation video on the English version of the website and the Flemish explanation video.
- If one roughly translates the word Kijkwijzer, it would mean view pointer in English.
- Nudity in a non-sexual context isn't a deciding factor according to Kijkwijzer since there is no evidence that nudity is obscene or harmful to youth.
- A short 10-second movie was played on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, Laserdisc, etc. First version (2000/2001), Second version (late 2002/early 2003), Rare 2nd version variant, it censored the KIJK WIJZER text, Third version (2009/2010), it involved the eyeball guy finding a seat, turns on the TV screen, a tiny TV has a green screen with rating, and the eye looks after, after a few secs it will fade to black. The first version had a website link.
- Vicacom commisioned that every kids channel should put a "splash/splat" logo from 80s painted pictogram that should added before the start of programming. AL example
- The UMD Video release of the movie Baadasssss! has a weird 16 rating but it looks like the PEGI 16 rating.
Rating images[]
.svg "Kijkwijzer 14 (2020).svg (547 bytes)")
Content descriptor images[]
