While watching television one night, a small box in the upper corner of the screen displayed the letters “TV PG DVS”. The “TV” part was pretty obvious, but what did the other secret code mean?
While most viewers understand the “G” rating for major motion pictures, many viewers are less familiar with other media ratings – even ones displayed regularly on television. In a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 12% of parents with children ages 2-6 recognized the TV rating “FV” as “Fantasy Violence” while another 8% thought it stood for “Family Viewing.”
Interpreting ratings for a specific audience can also be tricky. Media rating systems can be a starting point for families, there’s more to consider. Industry rating systems don’t take into account individual differences in a child’s age, maturity level, or a family’s household values.
Understand media rating systems – from movies to video games to TV – and you’ll help your family find a good entertainment match.
Movies
The Motion Picture Association of America rates the movies we see in theaters, as well as many of those available as rentals. Mpaa.org.
G: All Ages Admitted. May contain minimal violence, no nudity, sex scenes, strong language or drug use.
PG: Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children – Brief nudity, profanity or violence may be presented, but no drug use.
PG-13: Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13 - May present stronger themes, language, sexuality, drug use or violence that in a PG rated film.
R : Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian –Contain adult material.
NC-17: No One 17 or Under Admitted. May contain excessive violence, sex, aberrational behavior or drug use.
You should know: The PG-13 rating was created in 1984, so movies rated PG before this time may contain more intense material than today’s PG rated movies. Movies that eventually run on television are usually cut and edited, and their TV rating may not match their movie rating. Finally, although movie theaters are encouraged to enforce age restrictions when admitting viewers, movies rented through video rental programs rarely do.
Television Shows
The TV Parental Monitoring Board has created TV Parental Guidelines to help audiences with their viewing decisions. Tvguidelines.org
TV Y – Appropriate for all children
TV Y7 – Viewing for children ages 7 and older
TV Y7 FV – May be appropriate for children who understand the difference between real life and cartoon violence.
TV G – Appropriate for a general audience and contains little or no violence, sex or strong language.
TV PG – Parental guidance is suggested. Descriptors may include (V) moderate violence, (S) some sexual situations, (L) infrequent coarse language, or (D) suggestive dialogue.
TV PG 14 – Parents are strongly urged to exercise great supervision and cautioned against allowing viewers under the age of 14. Descriptors may indicate (V) intense violence, (S) some sexual situations, (L) strong coarse language, or intensely suggestive dialogue.
TV MA – Created for adults only. Descriptors include (V) intense violence, (S) explicit sexual activity, and (L) crude indecent language
What you should know: Television shows are rated by episode, so the ratings on a weekly series can vary with each episode’s content. Commercials and network promotions are not rated. Also, every television set produced after January 2000 has a V-Chip – built in technology that can be set to block programs based on TV ratings. Your cable or satellite service may also provide parental control and channel locking options.
Video Games
Most retail video games are rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and have two parts: a rating scale for age group and a content descriptor. The rating scale for age includes the following categories:
EC – Early Childhood
E – Everyone
E10+ - Everyone 10 years old and older
T – Teen – May be suitable for players 13 and older
M – Mature – May be suitable for players 17 and older
AO – Adults Only – Should only be played by adults 18 years and older
The ESRB also has 32 content descriptors that indicate the nature of potentially objectionable material. These descriptors accompany an age rating and can range from “Blood” to “Lyrics”. Review the complete list at esrb.org .
What you should know: Games available online or as downloads to a cell phone or computer are often not rated. Online game sites that appear to be kid friendly may contain advertising that is not appropriate or links to other websites displaying objectionable material.
Find some neutral ground…
Although the entertainment industry has attempted to provide objective rating systems, check out these alternative resources when making a media choice for your family.
Moviemom.com
Commonsensemedia.org
Familymediaguide.com
