Amazon apologises for streaming error that played adult film instead of family movie

Amazon has issued an apology after a technical error led to a child being shown a 15-rated film instead of the PG-rated movie their parent rented through Prime Video. The incident occurred when a parent paid to watch ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’, but the streaming service mistakenly played ‘Love & Other Drugs’, a romantic drama rated 15 by the British Board of Film Classification for containing strong sexual content. Following the incident, the parent contacted Amazon several times without receiving a response and then submitted a complaint to Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator. Ofcom’s investigation revealed that both films had been mistakenly assigned the same code by the licensing company, which caused Prime Video’s system to stream the wrong title. Amazon said the issue was fixed within 48 hours, though during that period 122 customers had attempted to rent ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. The company has since updated its internal processes to prevent similar mix-ups. Ofcom found Amazon in breach of its content classification and protection rules but did not impose a financial penalty. The regulator emphasized that the error could have exposed children to inappropriate material and highlighted the importance of accurate age classification for streaming services. Amazon confirmed that the technical problem has been corrected and that steps have been taken to ensure stronger safeguards are in place for future content rentals.