Amazon Apologises After Child Shown Age Restricted Film Instead of PG Movie

Amazon has issued an apology after a technical error on its Prime Video platform resulted in a child being shown a 15 rated film instead of the family friendly movie their parent had rented, prompting a complaint to the UK media regulator.

The incident occurred when a parent paid to rent Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a PG rated film widely considered suitable for children. Shortly after playback began, the parent realised something was wrong. Instead of the intended movie, the platform was streaming Love and Other Drugs, a film rated 15 by the British Board of Film Classification due to strong sexual content and explicit references.

Concerned by what their child was being exposed to, the parent attempted to contact Amazon by phone on three separate occasions but said they did not receive a response. Frustrated by the lack of follow up, they escalated the issue to Ofcom, the UK regulator responsible for overseeing broadcast and on demand content standards.

Following an investigation, Ofcom concluded that Amazon had breached its rules by failing to ensure appropriate content protections were in place. The regulator said parents and carers would reasonably expect Diary of a Wimpy Kid to be safe for children to watch, potentially without adult supervision. Showing an age restricted film instead posed a clear risk of harm, particularly to younger viewers.

Amazon told Ofcom that the issue was caused by an error linked to the company that licensed the two films. According to Amazon, both titles had been assigned the same internal identification code, when each film should have had a unique one. This mismatch caused the incorrect film to be streamed when customers selected the PG rated title.

The company said the problem was identified and fixed within 48 hours. During that window, Ofcom said 122 customers had attempted to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid, meaning multiple families may have encountered the same issue.

Amazon has apologised for the mistake and said it has since updated its internal processes to prevent a similar error from happening again. The company stressed that it takes content classification and child safety seriously and described the incident as an isolated technical failure rather than a systemic problem.

Ofcom confirmed that while Amazon breached its regulations, it has not imposed a financial penalty. The regulator said the company’s prompt action to resolve the issue and implement safeguards was taken into account when deciding on enforcement measures.

In its report, Ofcom detailed the parent’s experience, noting that the complainant had selected the film specifically for their young children and was alarmed when sexually explicit material appeared instead. The regulator said the incident highlights the importance of robust checks within on demand platforms, especially those widely used by families.

The case has reignited discussion around parental trust in streaming services, many of which are now a primary source of entertainment for children. Consumer groups say even rare errors can undermine confidence, particularly when age ratings are relied upon by parents to make quick decisions about what their children can watch.

Amazon said it regrets the incident and reiterated its commitment to protecting younger viewers. The company said it will continue working with content partners and regulators to ensure classification systems function correctly and that customers receive the content they expect.