Zimbabwe
National jurisdiction · as of 2026-09-07
Zimbabwe's Censorship and Entertainments Control Act [Chapter 10:04] (in force 1 December 1967) establishes the Board of Censors, which may approve a film or public entertainment subject to a condition that it not be exhibited or given to persons of a Board-specified age or sex; no person of that specified age or sex may then be present, and the person in charge of the venue must display the restriction and must not advertise the film or entertainment without it.
The age threshold under this scheme is set case by case in the Board's approval condition rather than fixed by the Act at a single statutory number, and the Act's supply and possession restrictions on undesirable or prohibited publications, pictures, statues and records bind the public generally rather than gating access by age. No provision reaches an online or on-demand service, a social-media platform, or an app store.
The Broadcasting Services Act [Chapter 12:06] gives the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe content-standard and licence-condition powers over broadcasting licensees but names no age threshold or minor-access duty in the provisions reviewed. No separate statute addressing social-media minor access, app-store age verification, or an age-appropriate design duty for a service likely to be accessed by children has been located.
01
Instruments on record
Censorship and Entertainments Control Act, Age-Restricted Admission and Display Duty
In force
Censorship and Entertainments Control Act [Chapter 10:04], ss. 27-28
Effective 1967-12-01 · Applies to private
Where the Board of Censors has approved a film, film advertisement, or public entertainment subject to a condition that it not be exhibited or given to persons of a specified age or sex, no person of that specified age or sex may be present at the place where it is being exhibited or given, subject to a defence for a person present in the course of employment or outside the admitted area (s. 27(1)).
A person who contravenes this is liable to a fine not exceeding level four or imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both (s. 27(2)). Separately, where the Board has imposed such a condition, the person in charge of the place or premises must cause the relevant restriction to be prominently displayed, and no person may publish or exhibit an advertisement of the film or entertainment unless the restriction is published or exhibited with it (s. 28(1)).
The age at which admission is restricted is set by the Board's approval condition for each film, advertisement or entertainment rather than fixed by the Act itself at a single statutory number.
| Enforcement body | Board of Censors, Zimbabwe |
Source: Full text of law