Top artists including Sam Smith, George Ezra and Joss Stone could see their music videos handed 12, 15 or 18 certifications under the government-backed pilot scheme. 

 

The British Board of Film Classification, which is running the initiative, has estimated that one in five videos released will be deemed unfit for those under 12. 

 

However some of the world's raunchiest performers, such as Miley Cyrus and Rihanna, are not covered by the scheme and there are no measures in place to enforce the guidelines. 

 

Rapper Dizzee Rascal³ has already seen his video 'Couple of Stacks' rated 18 under the initiative. Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do', recorded for the film Fifty Shades of Grey, was handed a 15 warning and Kasabian's 'Stevie' was rated 12. 

 

But even with these ratings in place, there is nothing to stop younger music fans stumbling across the inappropriate clips which often include sexual imagery, violence and obscene language. 

 

Only videos released by the British arms of Sony Music UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK are covered by the scheme and the companies are free to choose which videos they want to submit for certification. This means videos from artists such as Miley Cyrus, Nicky Minaj and Rihanna, who are not signed to those labels and are known for their raunchy videos, will not be included in the ratings system. 

 

Video sharing sites YouTube and Vevo have signed up to the scheme and pledged to include the warnings on clips uploaded to their sites. Vevo puts the rating in the top corner of the video, while YouTube includes it in the information beneath. However, there are no checks to make sure the person watching is of the correct age. 

 

YouTube is the world's most popular video sharing platform, with one billion worldwide users. It hosts videos for the vast majority of musicians. 

 

The scheme has been running since October last year and has so far seen 84 videos rated, with 27 given a 12 classification,39 a15 and one a 18. The BBFC has estimated that one in five videos released will be deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 12.

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