The primary role of the PCC is to administer and enforce a Code of Practice, which newspapers and magazines in the UK have committed to follow. If you believe that a publication has failed to meet the requirements set out in the Code we will look into your concerns and, if at all possible, obtain a suitable remedy for you.

The Code of Practice has been designed to be as simple to use as possible - you can see it in full here. There are particular rules in the Code that protect children and you can find out more about those here.

When making a complaint to the PCC you will be asked for details of the publication and material under complaint, as well as some brief details about yourself. We will also ask you which part of the Code you think has been breached.

Make a complaint now.

When we receive your complaint we will assess whether it raises a possible breach of the Editors' Code of Practice. If we think it does not, we will explain why. If we think it does, we will initiate an investigation by writing to the editor of the relevant publication.

Find out more about how the PCC investigates complaints.

If you have a concern about the press that does not engage part of the Code of Practice we still want to hear from you - to find out how to send us a comment (rather than a complaint), please click here. (Please note we may not be able to reply to all comments we receive.)

If you have not arrived at this page from Parentport and would like to find out more about Parentport itself, please click here.

Teenage magazines and magazine display

In addition to the rules in the Code of Practice, magazines that are targeted directly at teenagers also fall within the jurisdiction of the Teenage Magazine Arbitration Panel (TMAP). You can find out more about TMAP here.

Concerns about how magazines are displayed in shops are not dealt with by the PCC but by the Press Distribution Forum. There is more information about the Forum here.