MPAA Ratings System: How Films Are Rated

The MPAA rating system is a voluntary film-rating system created by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) to determine a movie’s suitability for audiences and age groups based on content. The movie rating system is often used by American parents to determine if a movie is appropriate for younger children and lets audiences know what kind of content they can expect to see in a movie. The MPAA ratings system also helps filmmakers and distributors know who their audience will be.

The Motion Picture Association of America, also known as the MPAA, oversees the classification and rating administration of movies. The system was introduced as the Hays Code in 1930 by William H. Hays, but was overhauled by Jack Valenti in 1968 to give us the rating system we have today.

The ratings themselves are determined by a group of eight to thirteen raters in an independent division of the MPAA called the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA). CARA members work outside of the film industry and must have children between the ages of five and fifteen when they join, and must leave the group when their children turn twenty-one. The raters watch films together, and then vote to determine each film’s rating.

The MPAA ratings are provided for most movies at the box office and will sometimes be accompanied by descriptors that label the kind of content that might be seen in the movie.

• General audiences (G): There is little to no content that would be deemed offensive or inappropriate for young children, and all ages are allowed to be admitted.
• Parental guidance suggested (PG): There may be some material that is not suitable for children, and parents are encouraged to watch the film with their children. PG-rated films might have content like mild language or cartoon violence.
• Parents strongly cautioned (PG-13): Some of the material may be inappropriate for children under thirteen years of age and parents should be cautious. Movies with a PG-13 rating may include content like strong language, violence, some brief nudity or sexual content, and drug use.
• Restricted (R): A rated-R movie contains adult material for mature audiences. Viewers seventeen years of age and younger may be required by theaters to be accompanied by an adult guardian. Movies with an R rating may include content like graphic sex scenes, intense violence, or strong profanity.
• Adults only (NC-17): Previously known as the X rating, a movie with an NC-17 rating will have strong sexual and violent content. Theaters may refuse to admit viewers seventeen years old and under, even if they are accompanied by an adult.
• Unrated: An unrated label means that this film is not yet rated and has not yet received content warnings from the ratings board. Many theaters will not screen unrated movies.

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