It may have been while watching a sitcom, viewing a movie, or playing a video game, but we’ve all been there. Everything seems to be going along just fine when, seemingly out of nowhere, our enjoyment is interrupted by a word or scene. Suddenly we’re scrambling to find the remote to change the channel or mute the volume, or we’re desperately trying to cover our eyes or block our ears (or the eyes and ears of the child sitting next to you). Each of us has our own guidelines when it comes to what we wish to see or hear, and what we want our children to be able to see and hear. Imagine how much more difficult it would be to maintain those guidelines without our current rating systems.

Whether you call it censorship or protection, the rating systems can be useful tools to protect yourself and your family from unwanted media. Maybe. If you know what the rating system is, what it is based on, and how it works, you’ll be better equipped to make educated decisions regarding what you watch or listen to.

The Basis for Media Rating Systems

When considering media rating systems, you’ll quickly discover that each works under the premise of providing parents with criteria which can be used when deciding what their children can or cannot see, hear, or play. While the rating systems can help parents, they are also useful to the rest of the populace who wish to limit the type of media they are exposed to as well.