By Michaela Gordoni
Some families who rented DIARY OF A WIMPY KID from Amazon were shocked when LOVE & OTHER DRUGS played instead.
The adult movie features Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, with “strong sex, sex references and language,” Deadline reported on Dec. 15. It’s rated R in the U.S.
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, on the other hand, is a quirky, fun family comedy movie rated PG. Part of Movieguide®’s review reads, “DIARY OF A WIMPY KID is intended for a children’s audience, but adults will find it enjoyable as well. It is a well-made production, with a very fun story, terrific characters, and a positive redemptive message about true friendship requiring sacrifice.”
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Over 100 viewers were subjected to LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS when they attempted to watch DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, said Ofcom, the UK government’s Office of Communications.
“The complainant said they had rented the film for their young children to watch, but after the selected content began playing, the complainant became aware that the film that had actually played was a different film containing strong sexual content,” Ofcom said.
“The complainant said they contacted the service provider by telephone three times but received no call back. The complainant then made their complaint to Ofcom,” the regulator continued. “Parents and carers would have accessed Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the basis that it was appropriate for their children to view, potentially unaccompanied by an adult (as had the complainant in this case).”
Amazon fixed the problem after 48 hours.
The specific rule it breached, outlined for providers of on-demand programme services (ODPS) was, “a person providing an on-demand programme service must take appropriate measures to ensure that any specially restricted material is made available by the service in a manner which secures that persons under the age of 18 will not normally see or hear it.”
Amazon apologized for the error and requested its content partner provide unique identifiers for all movies. It also updated its internal processes.
“Ofcom expects ODPS providers to act quickly in circumstances where they become aware of ongoing issues that may result in harm to children or audiences more broadly,” Ofcom said.
“Ofcom acknowledged Amazon’s assurances that it had updated its procedures to prevent this issue occurring again,” Ofcom said.
Amazon first breached Ofcom regulations when a viewer took issue with “the inclusion of a baby in scenes depicting sexual activity between adults” in a Filipino movie made in 2022.
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