13 Reasons Why: New Zealand bans under-18s from watching suicide drama without adult

The New Zealand classifications body has created a new category of censorship for controversial Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, after complaints from mental health bodies that it glorified suicide and could prompt copycats. New Zealand has the highest rate of teenage suicide in the OECD, with an average of two young people taking their own life each week. On Thursday the New Zealand Office of Film and Literature created a new censorship category RP18 to address concerns over the series, issuing an immediate restriction on the show to those aged under 18, unless accompanied by an adult. Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and the trouble with dramatising suicide Read more The authority said the existing classification distinctions were not considered adequate, as 16- and 17-year-olds were a prime age-group for teen suicide. The series, which was released in New Zealand at the end of March, chronicles the sexual assault and suicide of Hannah Baker, who records an extended suicide note through a series of 13 tapes explaining her decision. The classification’s authority said the series did not adhere to international guidelines for responsible representations of suicide, and risked spreading a suicide “contagion”. “New Zealand has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the OECD, and mental health advocates are extremely concerned about the effect 13 Reasons Why could have on the teenagers around the country who are binge-watching it at just this moment,” the authority said in a statement. The statement said the authority had consulted with various mental health groups , spoken to teenagers who had watched the series and had also viewed it in full.