Four out of ten children have seen video nasties, questionnaire reveals By Kenneth Gosling Hundreds of thousands of children aged between six and sixteen have seen video nasties, and, it was claimed yesterday, scenes of horrific violence and sex are often shown at birthday parties where they are replacing the conjuror as entertainment. Figures published yesterday in a special report prepared for a parliamentary inquiry, show that four out of ten children in a survey sarimple had seen flims such as Driller Killer and I Spit On Your Grave. Dr Clifford Hill, director of the inquiry, said at a press conference in London yester- day: "Very often the films were shown at birthday parties, where the nasty has replaced the conjuror. "Older children go out and rent them intending to shock the younger ones. I would say that in some homes, particular where there are younger parents, the video cassette recorder is replacing the baby- sitter". The report, which is the esult of research set up by an all-party group from both Houses of Parliament, led the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Coggan, to say: "There must be many who peddle these things who know what they peddle and I would put those who know in the same category as those who traffic in drugs". Lord Coggan was among members of the Lords who were shown a 20-minute police compilation of nasties. The emphasis in the films was on violence rather than sex, he said. "They were not the blue film variety but there was a strong sexual element - rape and so on - and one of the dangers is that the child's introduction to sex is in the context of violence. He said he had no doubt that the effect of video nasties would be seen in increasing violence in society. A group of Coventry children, all aged nine, were questioned by their teachers about videos they had seen. David said: "I like seeing people killed. I like it because it's more aggro." Warren: "I like all the blood coming out." Stevie: "I like the bit In Driller Killer where he puts a man up on sticks and he's like this (demonstrates pose) and then he gets drill and puts it through his stomach and he screams for ages. Then he dies." Teachers appeared to have been amazed at what their discussions revealed. They had no ideal, they said, what the children had been watching; and they were extremely surprised at their lucid and lurid accounts of violence, and of bloody and horrific scenes. The report is the first of three, issued now to coincide with the Video Recordings Bill, introduced by Mr Graham Bright, Conservative MP for Luton South, and given its second reading in the Commons a fortnight ago. Research was conducted with the cooperation of the country's education authorities and financed pri- vately by the churches and other well wishers. Questionnaires were an- swered by 6,000 children who were given a list of 100 most popular video films inter- spersed with 32 either found obscene or the subject of legal proceedings. Questioned about exposure to individual videos - 17.7 per cent had watched Bogey iVan, and more than eight per cent, I Spit On Your Grave The report refers to a 25 per cent increase in violent crime between 1978 and 1982 and the fact that of the world total of about 36.5 million video re- corders, 6 million or 17.9 per cent are in British homes. More detailed findings, using psychiatric evidence of the effects on children of viewing nasties, will be published next spring; but the interim report says a significant number of children of all ages described nightmares attributable to watching nasties. The Rev Peter Liddelow, deputy headmaster of a compre- hensive school in west London, said he had spoken to 10 out of 13 children who had 'seen violent films on home videos. "Several had dreams in wlhich atrocities they had seen were carried out on them; others reenacted what they saw". The report expresses police frustration at the length of time taken to obtain prosecutions in connexion with suspected video nasties. And video dealers and distributors as well as the police were anxious for clarification on what constituted "a ten- dency to deprave or corrupt" as defined in the Obscene Publi- cations Act 1959. The report adds- "There appears to be a widespread view among the police themselves that they have all the powers they need to remove video nasties from sale or hire to the public. What they feel they do not have is what constitutes a video nasty - and this, they argue, can only be obtained by redefining the Obscene Publi- cations Act". It also comments that in addition to hundreds of thou- sands of children having seen films which have been legally declared obscene, the number would run into millions if to these are added video films said to be unsuitable for children and those of a nervous dispo- sition. 'ideo Violence and C1iiidren; Report of a Parliamentary Group Video Inquiry: Part One - Chil- dren 's Vieiving Patternts; (P.G.V.E. Report Office, 58 Hanovcr Gardens, London SEI I 5TN; ?3 plus 75p postage and packing). Over 10 copies write for bulk purchase list. Four out of ten children have seen video nasties, questionnaire reveals