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.

Music

As the story goes, after buying her daughter a Prince album in 1985, Tipper Gore was shocked by the lyrics of some of the songs. She banded together with the wives of other Senators and formed the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center). After a long campaign, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) reached an agreement with the PMRC and the National Parent Teacher Association, stating that music containing “explicit lyrics, including explicit descriptions of violence and sex, be identified so parents can make intelligent listening choices for their children.” Since that time, the RIAA has provided recording studios with the tools to label releases that contain “explicit content.”

And as far as rating systems go, that’s basically it when it comes to music. Albums with explicit content can be labeled with a “Parental Advisory” sticker. Some stores will not sell albums that carry this label while others limit their sale to minors. However, the choice of whether or not the album will receive the parental advisory sticker is up to the recording studio and the artist. And it’s a completely voluntary process. For the most part, the music industry utilizes the parental advisory sticker—in fact; nearly all of the recent controversial songs have come from albums carrying the label. Still, don’t rely solely on this label when making listening decisions.

Movies

By far the most well-known rating systems are those associated with the motion picture industry. Many different countries have their own system—around 16 different varieties of the rating system can be found. For the main, these systems are all based on age-appropriateness. For this article, we’ll review the rating system developed by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

The MPAA has used a rating system since 1968. In comparison, the United States joined the movie rating scene late. Most other countries had already adopted some form of a rating system. Originally, the MPAA system utilized four ratings:

• G—for “General Audiences” which included children
• M—“Mature” audiences
• R—“Restricted,” meaning the film was meant for those 17 and above
• X—meant to maintain the audience at a minimum age of 18 and older.

The rating “M” brought about some confusion with parents and was changed to “GP” for General audience, Parental guidance suggested, and was later changed to PG (Parental Guidance suggested).

Since that time, the rating system has grown and changed. One notable example is the “X” rating. Under the original rating system, Academy Award winning movies like “Midnight Cowboy” and “Clockwork Orange” were rated X. When the adult film industry began applying this rating to their films, the MPAA rating system obviously had to adjust.

Today’s rating system follows these guidelines:

• G—General Audiences, All Ages Admitted The rating of G connotes that there is “nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex, violence, etc. which would, in the view of the Rating Board, be offensive to parents whose younger children view the film.”
• PG—Parental Guidance Suggested, Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children This rating suggests that parents check into the film before allowing their children to view it. Material found in the film as well as the theme of the movie may be inappropriate.
• PG13—Parents Strongly Cautioned, Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children under 13 If a PG movie should be checked out by parents, then PG-13 should be carefully considered. As the MPAA puts it, “A PG-13 film is one which, in the view of the Rating Board, leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents, but does not quite fit within the restricted R category.”
• R—Restricted, Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Guardian An R-rated film “definitely contains adult material.” And what does that mean? According to the MPAA, “An R-rated film may include hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above, so that parents are counseled, in advance, to take this advisory rating very seriously. Parents must find out more about an R-rated movie before they allow their teenagers to view it.”
• NC-17—No One 17 and Under Admitted While films rated NC-17 are not what might be considered obscene or pornographic, they are “patently adult” and children 17 and under should not view it.

These ratings, and their definitions, are printed on most movie posters, video packaging, and promotional materials. As with the music industry, however, these ratings are voluntary. Movie producers do not have to rate their movies, although the vast majority of them do. You will, at times, find movies that have no ratings—some even display an NR symbol on them. Additionally, movies that may have had a rating in the theaters are released on DVD with additional scenes or content that would change the rating. These DVD versions often have the NR rating, so be aware when you check out the DVD of a movie that was acceptable on the big screen. It may have changed. Whether viewing it on DVD or in the theater, you should research NR films before allowing your family to view them.

The system has had its number of detractors and critics—with small wonder. With the large numbers to be won at the box office—representing millions of dollars—film producers balk at the gamble of receiving an overly strict rating. Many independent film makers charge the MPAA with using seemingly more lenient criteria for the larger movie studios. A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health—later verified by findings from a study done by the CAP ministry—added more fuel to the fire. The study reported on the phenomenon of “ratings creep.” “The MPAA appears to tolerate increasingly more extreme content in any given age-based rating category over time,” claimed the study. “Movies with the same rating can differ significantly in the amount and type of potentially objectionable content. Age-based ratings alone do not provide good information about the depiction of violence, sex, profanity and other content.”

Despite the critics and the findings, people still seem to rely on the MPAA ratings. The latest surveys conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey, showed that 76% of parents with children under the age of 13 found the ratings to be “useful” to “very useful.” These surveys are conducted yearly.

What needs to be remembered is that movies—and all media, for that matter—are rated by people who bring their own beliefs and morals to the table. The MPAA ratings are judged by a full-time board of eight to 13 members located in Los Angeles. These board members work for the Classification and Rating Administration and serve for varying amounts of time, being rotated out of the board regularly. Additionally, the identities of these people are kept secret to better protect their objectivity.

Television

In January, 1996, the Federal Communications Commission of the United States mandated that every television 13 inches and larger manufactured after 2000 contain the V chip. This chip was to work in conjunction with the TV Parental Guidelines to provide parents with a rating system when viewing television programs. Many other countries have also adopted similar programs.

The V chip, developed by Tim Collins of Simon Fraser University, got its name from its ability to read the vertical blanking interval of a signal. These blanking intervals can’t be seen, but do contain programming information such as closed captioning as well as the ratings. The V chip reads these ratings, and, according to selected criteria, blocks or allows a program.

Televisions that contain the V chip have menus that allow you to activate and set the options of the chip. Unfortunately, the V chip is not password protected, so it may only serve to block programs from small children who do not know how to bypass it.

Compliance to the ratings is on a volunteer basis. The ratings are determined by the individual broadcast and cable networks. Additionally, the ratings system is not applied to documentary and news programming or commercials.

As most viewers can attest, television programs have started to feature the TV Parental Guidelines ratings at the beginning of their programs. You’ll often see the symbols displayed before the show begins, and even during the show—especially with longer features.

The TV Parental Guidelines have been defined as the following:

• TV-Y—All children These programs are appropriate for all age groups, including children ages two to six.
• TV-Y7—Directed toward older children Programs with this rating contain material that is appropriate for children “who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality.”
• TV-G—General audience While this program was not designed specifically for children, most parents would find it suitable for younger children to watch it unattended.
• TV-PG—Parental guidance suggested Much like the MPAA ratings, these programs may contain material that is unsuitable for children.
• TV-14—Parents Strongly Cautioned Think PG13 without nudity or overly offensive language (the FCC doesn’t allow broadcasting nudity and offensive vulgarity).
• TV-MA—Mature audiences only This is the “R” rating for television programs. Children under the age of 17 should not watch these programs unattended.

Additionally, television ratings will often come with qualifiers. Make sure to read these to further judge the appropriateness of the program.

Video Games

If there’s a characteristic common to all of these rating systems, it’s voluntary compliance. Video games are no exception.

The leading rating system for video games is the ESRB: Entertainment Software Rating Board. Most video game companies, with only a few rare exceptions, use and display the ESRB ratings on their games. These ratings can be very helpful in determining if you or your child should be playing a particular game.

The ESRB rating is determined by three specially trained raters. These raters are of various ages and are in no way tied to the computer industry—outside of the ESRB, that is. Nor are the raters expert gamers, though they do receive training on how to rate video games.

Companies that wish to have an ESRB rating submit a questionnaire with a video of actual game footage. The raters then rate the game separately and give a recommendation. Usually, according to the ESRB, the recommendations agree with each other, but in the case where a consensus cannot be formed, more raters are brought in. The ESRB also reserves the right to play a game after its release and change its rating if needed.

The ESRB rating comes in two parts: the rating symbols and the content descriptors. Below is a listing of both as they appear on ESRB’s web site.

ESRB Rating Symbols

• EARLY CHILDHOOD Titles rated EC - (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
• EVERYONE Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
• EVERYONE 10+ Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.
• TEEN Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood and/or infrequent use of strong language.
• MATURE Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.
• ADULTS ONLY Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
• RATING PENDING Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) - have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.)

ESRB Content Descriptors

• Alcohol Reference: Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages.
• Animated Blood: Discolored and/or unrealistic depictions of blood.
• Blood: Depictions of blood.
• Blood and Gore: Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts.
• Cartoon Violence: Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted.
• Comic Mischief: Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor.
• Crude Humor: Depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including “bathroom” humor.
• Drug Reference: Reference to and/or images of illegal drugs.
• Edutainment: Content of product provides user with specific skills development or reinforcement learning within an entertainment setting. Skill development is an integral part of product.
• Fantasy Violence: Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life.
• Informational: Overall content of product contains data, facts, resource information, reference materials or instructional text.
• Intense Violence: Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons, and depictions of human injury and death.
• Language: Mild to moderate use of profanity.
• Lyrics: Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol, or drug use in music.
• Mature Humor: Depictions or dialogue involving "adult" humor, including sexual references.
• Mild Violence: Mild scenes depicting characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.
• Nudity: Graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity.
• Partial Nudity: Brief and/or mild depictions of nudity.
• Real Gambling: Player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or currency.
• Sexual Themes: Mild to moderate sexual references and/or depictions. May include partial nudity.
• Sexual Violence: Depictions of rape or other sexual acts.
• Simulated Gambling: Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency.
• Some Adult Assistance May Be Needed: Intended for very young ages.
• Strong Language: Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity.
• Strong Lyrics: Explicit and/or frequent references to profanity, sex, violence, alcohol, or drug use in music.
• Strong Sexual Content: Graphic references to and/or depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity.
• Suggestive Themes: Mild provocative references or materials.
• Tobacco Reference: Reference to and/or images of tobacco products.
• Use of Drugs: The consumption or use of illegal drugs.
• Use of Alcohol: The consumption of alcoholic beverages.
• Use of Tobacco: The consumption of tobacco products.
• Violence: Scenes involving aggressive conflict.

Additionally, online games that include user-generated content (e.g., chat, maps, skins) carry the notice "Game Experience May Change During Online Play" to warn consumers that content created by players of the game has not been rated by the ESRB.

Useful Tools

Remember this key word when considering the rating systems for any media product you may purchase: voluntary. Each of the rating systems discussed in this article depend on the voluntary compliance of the producer of that product. Most companies submit to these systems—it would be financial suicide not to. But that doesn’t mean all of them do.

Additionally, you need to apply your own standards to these rating systems. In today’s media rich world, it’s not very hard to find a review of any movie, album, television show, or video game. Find a credible critic that you like—and agree with—and refer to them often.

The media rating systems that we have today are by no means perfect. After all, they rely on the subjectivity of other people who bring their own beliefs and morals to the table. While in many people’s opinions these rating systems may fall short of the mark, they are still useful. Jack Valenti, who served as president of the MPAA until 2004, best described those people who serve on review boards as “neither gods nor fools.” A sage description to remind us that any media rating system is an imperfect program run by imperfect beings. Yet, whether you’re protecting yourself or your children, using these rating systems can help you to make educated decisions, saving you from embarrassment later.