Media Notes / Media Classifications

Tradition!

"You're lucky I didn't cut you to ribbons."

"Not with a Y7 rating, you won't!"

— Duck Dodgers

Ratings put in place by the local Media Watchdog to give consumers an idea of the content of a specific media product, often times encouraged by the producers of said media in order to avoid the alternative of a Censorship Bureau. The specific criteria for assigning are usually fairly open, although the two biggies (sex and violence) are given different emphasis in different parts of the world, so one critique of the system is that sometimes the difference between two assignments is a single addition of a curse word. Occasionally the rating system is so seemingly arbitrary that it's possible to wonder why one film got rated as suitable for older teenagers when another, more violent and with more sex and swearing, managed to be rated as suitable for those in their pre- to early teens.

In some parts of the world the ratings are enforced by legislation, while in others they are merely voluntary. For example, a British retailer is breaking the law for selling a video rated '18' to a person aged 17 or under, while in the United States it's up to each retailer to choose whether or not to maintain the age restrictions, with the exception of selling or showing porn to minors. (Of course, any retailer that significantly broke these guidelines would immediately suffer huge backlash from the public, assuming they weren't some rinky-dink shop in a back lot too small to be noticed.)

Canada is a special case: provincial ratings are enforced by their respective governments, while the pan-Canadian rating is only for home video; consisting of the average of all the provincial ratings and is not enforced. (Quebec is not a member, so home media for the province has to be rated by their film bureau.) Some US states have attempted to introduce ratings backed with the force of law, with California banning sale of M-rated video games to minors; as of June 27, 2011, this was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, so industry-run voluntary systems it is.

The most prominent and well-known ratings system for video games is administered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (or ESRB). The ESRB is a volunteer organization that was created in the mid-90s after Mortal Kombat and Night Trap raised concerns about the content of violent or "mature" video games. The ESRB must review everything — they see a full script, review all art assets, and even play through the game — before they give a final rating, and they'll sometimes revise that rating post-launch if circumstances warrant. (The most famous example of this was when the original version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was raised from "Mature" to "Adults Only" in the wake of the Hot Coffee scandal. When new versions were released, with the originally Dummied Out content now completely removed, the "Mature" rating returned.)

Exactly what qualifies a film or TV show for a rating varies wildly between countries. For example, in some more permissive jurisdictions productions that would score an R or even NC-17 in the US due to sexual content have been rated the local equivalent of PG or even G- sometimes after editing, sometimes not. However, in the States, there are many PG-13 horror/psychological thriller films like Insidious, Split, and Lights Out (2016) that have gotten the local equivalent of an R rating abroad. A good example of this variation is the TV-MA series Girls which due to its explicitness is rated TV-MA (adults only) in the US, yet its Canadian DVD release carries 14A, meaning it's considered suitable for teens in that country. Not to be confused with Media Categories FAQ, which covers how trope pages are divided up by medium on This Very Wiki.

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• Motion Picture Association

Every country in the world has variations on the following classifications for film, TV or both:

Not classified or exempt from classification

(In most places (with exceptions; see below), things like exercise and instructional videos go under this.)

• UK: E for Exempt. Used by many distributors on the packaging of non-fiction home video works, therefore sometimes assumed to mean E for Educational, or sometimes E for Exercise. Until 2014 this was automatic for non-fiction works, but the rules were changed in that year to require a BBFC certificate for anything with content above a PG, due to press and political controversy over sexual content in pop music videos. Not actually an official rating, but a widespread convention.
• Australia: E.
• Canada: E for exempt, but on home video only.
• Germany: "Ungeprüft".Though in Germany, usually this translates to "non-rated", and thus "not to be sold to minors", which is different from the other cases mentioned here as 'E'.
• United States: NR for Not Rated. For theatrical releases, ratings systems are voluntary. The enforcement of such is directed by NATO ( no, not that one ), the National Association of Theater Owners. This organization is the national organization of movie theater owners, to which virtually all US movie exhibition companies belong. To best serve their mass audience, the MPA rates and the NATO enforces. A production company can choose not to submit their film to the MPA for rating, and mark themselves as NR; however, much like with Germany, this is considered a de-facto NC-17, albeit with fewer unsavory connotations. For this reason, this is typically only seen with documentaries, or independent "art" productions with little-to-no budget, as they're more likely to decide that saving the money needed to submit is worth the loss of potential audience. (In other words, if the producers already know they would likely be rated as NC-17, there's no need to have confirmation - they can just run it as NR instead, and be treated in the same way, if not with slightly more leniency.) Even if a film has already been rated NC-17, which is considered an industry Kiss of Death, it's trivial to perform a few insubstantial cuts that add up to a minute, then claim it as a new, unrated version.
  • However, retail-only videos are routinely sold unrated with little-to-any restrictions. In fact, some theatrically-released movies have "unrated" video editions to imply that they are raunchier or more violent, when it may only mean a minute of footage was added and the producers didn't pay to get the new version rated. Special features (making-of documentaries, deleted scenes, etc.) are usually not rated either, and while they're required to show that (see the picture above), it never has a detrimental effect on purchasing.
  • Releases and reruns of older films made before the ratings systems was established in 1968 will also be noted as being not rated, though sometimes they'll have ratings applied retroactively.
  • For television, everything is required to have a rating with the exception of news and information shows, and live sporting events, such as live-to-air games of baseball, football, basketball... etc.^note UFC and other mixed martial arts events are rated TV-MA due to the inherent violence and frequent bloodshed. Professional Wrestling is not considered a sport under these guidelines and must submit an intended rating before the show (WWE is usually TV-PG, most AEW programming is TV-14), doing anything that exceeds that rating can result in heavy fines. By default, they are given a TV-G rating, in order to be compatible with automatic rating screening settings on TVs and cable boxes. ^note An example of this is the American Scripps networks (Cooking Channel, DIY, Food Network, HGTV and the Travel Channel) rating nearly all their shows TV-G, which can be quite a bit jarring when an owner on Mystery Diners made an observation about an employee and his triplet brothers "triple-fucking" him with their behavior, along with many multiple bleeps in several of their series.
  • Filipino movies released by Star Cinema in US theaters are not sent to the MPAA for classification, although they never carry the NR mark or "This movie is not rated" when advertised on Filipino channel TFC, or by print advertising in most Filipino stores. The same can be said for Spanish movies for the Hispanic community when shown in US theaters. The only exception is mostly on film sites like Fandango when said movies do show up on some theaters' screening schedules, which do get marked as not rated.
• In the Philippines, news and current affairs programs are exempted. Those broadcast by the major TV networks, however, may attach a PG or SPG rating depending on the content of the news items contained therein. It's the same in the United States, though documentaries are usually rated.

Suitable for young children:

• UK: Uc (i.e. Universal: particularly suitable for children) – this rating was used for home video only and was discontinued in 2009, following reports that it was actively off-putting to children.
• US: TV-Y (television). Initially, this was used for pretty much all Nickelodeon shows except for Are You Afraid of the Dark? because of frightening scenes and The Ren & Stimpy Show for gross-out humor, as well as anime such as Sailor Moon and Pokémon: The Series that was aimed at children, and most Disney-produced animated shows such as Recess, but in recent years, the rating is mostly applied to shows aimed at preschoolers.
• Canada: C
  • Quebec: G (films tagged "For children")
• Brazil: ER (i.e. Especialmente recomendado)
• Portugal: M/3 ^note Formerly M/4, which is still used for movies published before 2014.
• Spain: T and 7-rated films may add "Especialmente recomendada para la infancia" (especially suitable for young children) if the film is geared towards kids.
• Mexico: AA. Aimed at children 6 years or younger.

Suitable for everybody

• UK: U (i.e. Universal).
• Australia: G.
• US: G (film, "General Audiences — All Ages Admitted"); TV-G and TV-Y7 [both with and without the FV for fantasy violence sub-rating] (television). The G rating is almost never used these days. Initially, the rating merely meant that the film was suitable for all audiences with relation to content — early G-rated films could have some violence and profanity, and include films that really aren't intended for kids like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the very first film ever to be rated by the MPAA, the Hammer Horror film Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. Even Star Wars: A New Hope only barely avoided being rated G, even though the film includes numerous people being shot, an arm being cut off (with blood), two onscreen chokings, a man being decapitated^note even though he disappears as it happens and the implied deaths of billions of people on Alderaan. Even with all that, the ratings board told George Lucas that the movie's content put it right between G and PG.^{Official MPA description}"A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children's" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation, but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture."
• Japan: G.
• Philippines: G (General Patronage) (film and television).
• Germany: FSK0, which means all ages may see the film, though some films may not be of interest to children.
• Hong Kong: Category I
• Ireland: G.
• Italy: T (per tutti).
• Canada: C8+ (for television shows aimed at older children) and G (for both television and film; in Canada it is used a lot more than the US).
  • Quebec: G.
• Brazil: L (Livre; green seal).
• New Zealand: G.
• Netherlands: AL.
• Portugal: A (film), T (television).
• Singapore: G.
• South Africa: A.
• Spain: T (Autorizada para todos los edades).
• South Korea: All.
• Denmark: A.
• Finland: S (Finnish) or T (Swedish).
• Norway: A.
• Sweden: Btl (abbreviation of Barntillåten).
• Mexico: A
• Taiwan: GP/0+
• India: U

Parental guidance is recommended for young audiences

• UK: PG (i.e. Parental Guidance).
  • When the British ratings system was changed in the early 1980s, a lot of older stuff got chucked into this category, despite possibly not being suitable. Take, for example, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which features a background striptease, getting the PG rating. It was originally rated an A; had it been released a few years later, it would probably have been rated AA, which would be a 15 certificate today. The standards for stuff getting cut full stop back then were set by some very arbitrary means — if it gave John Trevelyan (British Board of Film Classification head from 1958 to 1971) a boner or made him sick (no matter how slight), it was cut.
• US: PG (film, "Parental Guidance Suggested – some material may not be suitable for children"); TV-PG(television). ^{Official MPA Description}"A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture."
  • Originally the second stage MPAA rating was M, for Mature ("Suggested for Mature Audiences – parental discretion advised"). ^note The original four ratings released in 1968 were G, M, R, and X. In 1970, over confusion as to whether M-rated movies could be suitable for minors, the rating was changed to GP, for General - Parental guidance suggested. Since this was still somewhat confusing, in 1972 the rating was changed to PG - Parental Guidance suggested. It's stayed as PG ever since.
• Australia: PG.
• Ireland: PG.
• Canada: PG.
  • Quebec: Some G-rated films are tagged as "not recommended for young children", the equivalent of this as Quebec lacks a PG rating. There exists an 8+ rating, though its usage is limited to television.
• New Zealand: PG (film and television)
  • PG rated programmes can be shown anytime.
• Portugal: M/6
• Singapore: PG
• South Africa: PG
• Hong Kong: Category IIa

Not recommended for younger audiences [usually 12 to 16], but not restricted

• US: PG-13 (film, "Parents Strongly Cautioned – some material may be inappropriate for children under 13"); TV-14 for television.^{Official MPA Description}" PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous."
  • PG-13 was introduced in 1984 as an intermediary step between PG and R, in response to an upswing of movies that were pushing the envelope of the PG rating - they weren't quite violent or mature enough to merit an R, but had content that few if any people wanted young children to see. The two movies cited as inspiring the creation of the PG-13 rating are Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins (1984); the first movie to be rated PG-13 was Red Dawn (1984).
• Spain: All of the subsequent ratings (7, 12, 16, and 18) are purely advisory, meaning that children under that age can watch it (though it might upset them). This more liberal attitude likely came from a general public disdain for The Franco Regime's very strict and oftentimes excessive censorship. When Spain became a democracy in 1975, the Francoist censorship gradually disappeared (though some old books still bear the marks).
• Australia: M.
• New Zealand: M. (Film and television)
  • M rated programmes can be shown on Pay TV anytime. On Free to Air television, M rated programmes can be shown between 9am and 3pm on school days only and again between 7:30pm and 5am. It cannot be shown on weekends and public holidays until after 7:30pm.
• Hong Kong: Category IIb
• Japan: PG12
• Denmark: 7.
• Italy: As of 2021, VM6
• Mexico: B (12 years) and B-15 (15 years)
• Singapore: PG13
• India: U/A

People under X years of age [usually 16 to 18] need an adult

• UK: 12A (12 Accompanied/Advisory, that is under-12s allowed in only if accompanied by an adult) — introduced in 2002 after a two-year trial period in Norwich, with The Bourne Identity the first to receive this rating. Still-playing '12' films already in cinemas at that point, such as Spider-Man, had their rating altered to the new designation. Almost all films receiving this certificate go on to receive a 12 (see below) for home-media release.
• US: R (film; "Restricted – under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian" ^note for a brief period at the very beginning of the MPAA ratings, from 1968 to 1970, the age limit for R-(and X!)rated movies was 16)^{Official MPA Description}"An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures."; TV-MA (Television) - TV-MA rarely appears on broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) and then only during the "Safe Harbor" period of 10 pm - 6 am. You're more likely to see it on original pay cable programs - probably the most popular TV-MA show is Game of Thrones.
  • Originally the boundary age for R movies was 16 - this was raised to 17 in 1970.
  • Tennessee passed a law in 1989 overriding the MPAA age guidelines for R movies, forbidding anyone under 18 from attending an R-rated movie without a parent's consent. While the law says nothing about X/NC-17 (see below) films, it's assumed that NATO enforcement would prevent someone under 18 from seeing a film that can only be viewed by persons 18+. The only difference between the two ratings levels is that you can see an R movie under 18 if your parent/guardian allows you to, but they can't likewise consent to let you see something rated NC-17.
• Philippines: PG (Parental Guidance/Patnubay at Gabay^note Persons under 13 cannot be admitted into such films unless accompanied by an adult. This is not an advisory category.) (Film and television) and SPG (Strong Parental Guidance, Striktong Patnubay at Gabay) (television) — This rating emphasizes the gravitas of the TV show's possible descriptors (themes, language, violence, sex, horror, and drugs) that may affect children and is thus applicable to anyone under 13.
• Canada: 14A and 18A (called 14+ and 18+ on TV)
  • Quebec: 13+.
• Brazil: 10 (blue seal), 12 (yellow seal), 14 (orange seal), 16 anos (red seal). Children 10 and older may see a film with a 12, 14, or 16 rating unaccompanied, provided that they show a consenting permission slip, from their parents or guardians. Children under 10, however, may only watch a higher rated film if they are accompanied by an adult.
• Australia: MA15+.
• Ireland: 12A, 15A.
• New Zealand: RP13, RP16, RP18.
  • The RP18 rating was introduced in 2017 because of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. The reason why it was introduced is that New Zealand has the highest suicide rate in the OECD and therefore teens under 18 are prohibited without Parental Accompaniment to view the series.
• Netherlands: 6, 9, 12.
• Russia: 6+, 12+, 16+, 18+.
• Portugal: M/6, M/12, M/14
• South Korea: 12, 15.
• Sweden: 7.

People under X years of age not permitted at all and those under Y years of age need an adult

(certain movies require that people be over a particular age (usually 15) or with an adult (anyone 17 or 18 years old and older). Often overlaps with the above.):

• Brazil: 18 anos (black seal, this is the highest rating). Children 16 and 17 years may see an 18 rated film, if they are accompanied by an adult 18 years or above, or with a consenting permission slip, from their parents or guardians, if the teen would like to see the film unaccompanied.
• Canada: 18A (in Maritimes and Manitoba; over 14, under 18).
• Germany: FSK12 (over 6, under 12)
• Portugal: M/14, M/16, M/18 ^note In the case of M/18, entrance can be denied by the cinema owners to people below 18 even if accompanied by an adult; however, this is not enforced by law.
• South Africa: 7-9 PG, 10-12 PG.
• Denmark: 11, 15 (under 7s not admitted at all)
• Finland: 7, 12, 16 (up to three years younger)
• Italy: As of 2021, VM14 (12 and 13), and VM18 (16 and 17).
• Norway: 9, 12, 15 (up to three years younger)
• Sweden: 11, 15 (up to four years younger can be admitted)
• Taiwan: 6+/PG-12 (Children 6 to 11 years of age can see this film if accompanied by an adult).

People under X years of age not permitted at all

• US: NC-17 (film, "No children under 17 admitted" [1990–1996], "No one 17 and under admitted" ^note The confusing wording (probably intended to preserve the trademarked "NC-17") actually means that the movie is restricted to those 18 and older [1996–present]), Previously X (film, "Persons Under 16 Not Admitted" [1968-1970]^note Though at least one theater informational bumper suggests X was briefly raised to 18 in 1970. The original 16-year age limit was not absolute as trailer rating cards from the '70s establish that individual theaters or perhaps state or local laws could overrule the MPAA age limits to set higher thresholds — wordings included "Age limit may vary in certain areas" or "Higher age limit may be posted in theater lobby" to cover these cases, "No one under 17 admitted" [1970-1990], officially discontinued in 1990). ^{Official MPA Description}"An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children."
  • The two ratings serve functionally the same purpose, the one real distinction between them is that NC-17 is trademarked by the MPAA/MPA and can only be applied by them. The X rating was deliberately left untrademarked, and so free for any filmmaker to use as they saw fit, as trademarking meant that only the MPAA could apply the rating and authorize its use. ^note Trademarking would require the MPAA to demand anyone using the mark without explicit permission to cease under penalty of potential lawsuit or other legal consequences. If they didn't, they would end up losing the trademark anyway. The reason behind this was that the MPAA originally (according to The Other Wiki) only planned three ratings [G, M, and R] and were perfectly fine with parents exercising discretion on what films they decided to take their children to. However, the National Association of Theater Owners balked at this, fearful that in some locales, that attitude could lead to prosecutions of theater owners for showing obscenity to minors and so urged the MPAA to include an "adults-only" category. MPAA accommodated NATO's concerns by introducing the X rating. The MPAA envisioned that producers of films could apply the rating themselves, to films like Midnight Cowboy or A Clockwork Orange or other similar mature fare ^note This may also explain the rather low age bar — a person has to generally be 18 to view porn, but only 17 (or even 16 from 1968 to 1970) to see an X-rated or NC-17 film pre-1996..
    
    An example (partly) of how the rating was supposed to work can be seen with the example of Midnight Cowboy — the only X-rated film to ever win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was originally rated R, but United Artists self-applied the X rating on the advice of a psychologist who said the controversy would drive ticket sales. There is very little in the movie that actually exceeds the standards generally regarded as meriting an R rating; the X was applied due to the homosexual themes in the movie. The film's original R rating was restored years later on reissue.
    
    However, how the system was supposed to work, and how a completely unregulated rating actually worked were quite different. Instead of the thought-provoking mature dramas that were unsuitable for the under-17s that the MPAA was hoping would get the rating, the then-nascent pornography industry began self-applying the mark for films like Deep Throat. This made the X rating very quickly toxic as far as movie theaters were concerned, and as early as 1973 theaters refused to show any X-rated movie on the fears that the movie was porn. This stigma against X persisted into the 1980s, when by-and-large pornography was both utilizing a "Triple-X" rating ^note "Triple-X" or "XXX" was never a legitimate rating proposed by the MPAA or anyone else - it's completely a marketing term, meant to mean, in essence, "three times as explicit as X." and leaving projection theaters for the growing home-video market. Filmmakers had to find workarounds or cut their films down to an R, as happened famously with RoboCop (1987), which would have garnered an X for violence. George Romero, as another example, knew that Dawn Of The Dead's violence would exceed the threshold for an R rating, but was unwilling to either cut the movie or apply an X rating. He instead had a disclaimer placed on all advertising for the movie stating that while the movie had no sexual content, the graphic violence was so intense that no person under 17 would be admitted..
    
    Due to the taint of the X rating, it was officially retired in 1990 and replaced with NC-17 in an attempt to sell serious movies that otherwise would have been labeled X. Having learned a lesson, NC-17 was trademarked, and like G, PG, PG-13, and R, had to be officially determined by the MPAA. However, most theaters were still forbidden in their lease agreements from screening "adult" films, and those agreements were usually interpreted in a way that would make NC-17 films non-starters. Further, nearly all newspapers and other media outlets usually refuse advertising for NC-17 films. Even further, some retailers will not stock NC-17 films, and Netflix and other streaming services have only a select few NC-17 films (usually extreme violence and sexual abuse more than consensual sex). Also not helping the rating's cachet are the high-profile box office failures of Showgirls, and The Dreamers (both of which were rated NC-17 for pervasive sexual content, including extremely frequent and explicit nudity) — both due to the aforementioned hesitance of theater chains to screen the films, but also because their quality was severely lacking, particularly Showgirls. Because of all these factors, the NC-17 rating is rarely applied to a film as a final rating. Generally, the producer of a film that receives an NC-17 either opts to release it unrated (see above under "Not classified"), challenges the rating to get it softened to R, or edits it down to R to get it into theaters and releases the uncut version as an unrated DVD.
• UK: 12, 15 and 18. The latter two replaced AA and X in 1982, while 12 was added in 1989 and retired from film in 2002 because of the 12A rating.
  • In practice, 12 and 15 are loosely enforced. There is little equivalent stigma to the NC-17 situation above attached to the 18 rating, though directors may well still make cuts to seek a 15 certificate and so a broader potential audience.
  • Like its American equivalent PG-13, the '12' rating was originally introduced in the cinema due to two problems created by the former large gap between 'PG' and '15'. On one hand, there was worry about the levels of violence and horror in certain action-adventure movies marketed to a family audience (with particular problems being caused by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom^note for action violence and Gremlins^note for gross-out scenes and scenes of destructive mischief that can easily be imitated by younger, more impressionable viewers). On the other hand, there were complaints from film companies and audiences about comedies and dramas aimed at teens being given the R-equivalent '15' rating due to moderate profanity and implied sexual references (in particular Stand by Me).
  • As of 2002, the '12' certificate is now academic as it is used only on home media, whereas '12A' (see above) is used in the cinema.
• Australia: R18+^note In Queensland, persons under the age of 2 can be admitted to R18+ films..
• Japan: R15+, R18+.
• Hong Kong: Category III
• Canada: R and A.
  • Quebec: 16+ and 18+.
• Ireland: 12, 15, 16 and 18. The 12 and 15 ratings are used only for home video, and 16 is only for cinema. 18 can be applied to either.
  • (The "16" rating was introduced after some parents thought Bad Santa (15PG) was a kids' film.)
• France: 12, 16, 18.
• Germany: All FSK ratings except FSK0 and FSK12, including films not assigned a rating by the FSK.
• New Zealand: R13, R15, R16 and R18 (film); 16 and 18 (television)
  • The R18 rating in New Zealand is used for both Porn and Mainstream films (which is the equivalent of the old American X rating used by the MPAA)
  • Programmes classified 16 or 18 on free to air television cannot be shown til after the 8:30pm Watershed.18-rated programmes are shown till after 9:30pm. On Pay TV, 16 rated programmes can be shown anytime as long filtering technology is applied. 18 rated programmes can only be shown between 9am and 3pm on school days only and again between 8pm and 6am. If you unsure about the Pay TV codes, refer to the Pay TV code of the Broadcasting Standards Authority. For Free to Air television, refer to the updated 2020 version of the code
• Netherlands: 16. (This and the 18+ PEGI rating are ones that can be enforced by law. However, the 18+ rating has no legal status; thereby every person 16 years (the highest age limit) and older is able purchases a game which contains the 18+ rating from PEGI.), the rest are "suggestions".
• Philippines: R-13, R-16, R-18.
• Singapore: NC16, M18, R21.
• South Africa: 13, 16, 18.
• South Korea: 18. People under 18 or students in elementary/middle/high school may not watch these movies, even if they are over 18.
• Finland: 18.
• Norway: 18.
• Mexico: C (18 years)
• Taiwan: 12+/R-12, 15+/R-15, 18+/R-18
• India: A. This is the highest rating the CBFC can give and still allow films to be released in theatres. Even then, censorship is common.

People Y or over, to be shown or sold in licensed venues only and not to be made available by mail order

• Canada: A.
  • Quebec: 18+ with the "Explicit sexuality" tag.
• UK: R18 – applies to material that can only be shown at licensed adult cinemas or sold at licensed sex shops. Essentially applies only to porn - a very small number of arthouse movies containing hardcore unsimulated sex scenes have been passed at 18 after convincing the BBFC of their True Art nature (most famously including In the Realm of the Senses^note which, however, had to have one scene censored, by careful cropping of the frames, to remove the sight of a woman touching a prepubescent boy's penis, which would have been illegal in the UK under anti-child-pornography laws, Intimacy, 9 Songs, and Shortbus). Some types of kinky sex are still completely banned due to fears that they would contravene the traditional "liable to deprave and corrupt" obscenity law or later laws against "extreme pornography" (essentially, material featuring strong rape role-play, bestiality, or acts of BDSM considered to pose even remote risks of serious injury or death).
• Germany: Indexed products – applies to games, books and magazines; can only be ordered by special adult delivery. When sold at brick-and-mortar retailers, they may only be purchased "behind the counter". This is essentially the German equivalent of the NC-17 rating... but on steroids. Not only can Indexed media not be legally sold online in most settings (they cannot be listed on popular retailers like Amazon or eBay), they are stuck on the index for at least 25 years until the BpJM (a government agency designed to protect youth) removes them.
• Australia: X18+
  • Due to state laws Hardcore pornography or anything rated X18+ is strictly prohibited and therefore cannot be sold within any state. Hardcore pornography is sold only in territorial regions (A.C.T and the Northern Territory). Mail order outside of the Territorial regions is legal.
  • Also, some porn titles are prohibited from being sold in Australia due to strict censorship legislation under the Classification Act 1995. Here are the rules on what is and isn't allowed (they are very strict, so be aware).
• Portugal: M/18, P (for Pornography)
• Spain: Película X - denotes pornography that may only be shown in licensed adult cinemas to those 18 and older. The only mainstream film to get this onerous rating was Saw VI — in its uncut form, it was deemed so violent as to be pornographic. Buena Vista (yes, the same one owned by Disney) appealed the rating, and with a few cuts, it got an 18, allowing it to be shown in mainstream cinemas.
• South Africa: X18.
• South Korea: Restricted (for 19 years and over). These movies can only be screened in theaters dedicated to such films. Advertising of such films is banned outside of those theaters. In practice, there are no theaters that show movies classified as limited, so this classification is a de facto ban.
• Mexico: D

Not to be sold

• UK: Unsuitable for classification or rejected.
• Australia: RC (Refused Classification).
• France: Interdiction.
• New Zealand: Objectionable - Makes the title completely illegal to own, with fines or jail time as punishment. This differs from "banned" classification in other English speaking countries such as Australia and UK, which disallow public selling, but allow ownership.
• Philippines: X.
• Singapore: Refused classification; formerly NAR (Not For All Ratings).
• South Africa: XX - Still legal to possess except if it contains illegal content such as CP.

This is rare in the United States, due to the First Amendment, and the fact that the rating system is voluntary. However, distributors may consider passing on a certain work if it's too controversial, for instance the case of Disney's G-rated Song of the South, which Disney has refused to re-release in recent decades due to content that could be viewed as Values Dissonance today. Also, films can be banned if the content itself would be deemed illegal under the laws of the United States (again, a very high bar due to the First Amendment), or if litigation or ongoing criminal proceedings causes a court or agency to put an injunction on the sale or screening of a work until the legal difficulties are resolved. ^note  These include Titicut Follies, a documentary that was suppressed by court order for decades. The official reason was invasion of privacy, but it is theorized that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was embarrassed by the potential revelations of how horrific the mental-hospital system was at the time; The Profit, which was the target of legal challenges by The Church of Scientology which feared that it would prejudice juries in a then ongoing wrongful death lawsuit and successfully had the film suppressed. The suit was settled, but another lawsuit, this one concerning one of the film's investors, continues to make the film legally unscreenable; Hillary: The Movie, which was briefly banned from screening by the Federal Elections Commission on the grounds that it was an improper electoral ad in violation of the McCain-Feingold Act. The law in question was later overturned making the suppression moot; and 1982's If You Love This Planet, which was briefly suppressed by the Department of State as "foreign political propaganda", though a legal judgement five years later declared that suppression unconstitutional. Other films can be withheld by their creators and not screened, making them de facto banned, among these films is The Day the Clown Cried, which Jerry Lewis famously refused to distribute throughout his lifetime due to a mixture of legal issues and general disappointment and disgust with the film's subject matter and quality. It has since been allowed to be screened, but only for academic researchers and film historians, and only at one location of the Library of Congress. Similarly, though in a much, much more extreme manner, is the Marx Brothers film Humor Risk, which apparently Groucho hated so much that he went to the trouble of making sure every copy was destroyed.

---

The MPAA also has special rating cards for theatrical film trailers. In most trailers, the cards have a green background and note that the trailer has been approved for "appropriate audiences" or (since 2013) "to accompany this feature." (Until 2009, they were approved for "all audiences," but this has since been changed since a so-called "green band" trailer for a James Bond film might not be appropriate to show ahead of a children's movie.) So-called "red band" trailers, having a red background and an approval for "restricted audiences only," are prohibited from being shown before movies rated G, PG or PG-13 and may include violence, nudity, sexual content and language otherwise not allowed in the green trailers. Some films are promoted using both green and red trailers, depending on the subject matter of the film. There is also a third, more obscure "yellow band" reserved for internet trailers and is for promoting films rated PG-13 or higher. However, yellow trailers never became a widespread practice due to having specific requirements such as only being allowed on adult-frequented websites or if the website is only accessable between 9:00 PM and 4:00 AM.

One episode of Freakazoid! had Jack Valenti^note actually voiced by Jack Valenti himself, then president of the Motion Picture Association of America (and his cheeks) giving a lecture about the MPAA's rating system as a pair of interstitial scenes, using a process of elimination on an example family (consisting of a young daughter, tween son, their parents and a set of grandparents, plus a dog) as he describes the appropriate ratings. This speech (combined for your convenience) is reprinted here:

"Now, if a family wants to see a movie and it's rated G, then everyone can go: Mom and Dad and Buffy and Jody and Grandma and Grandpa and even Sergeant Scruffy. If it's PG, then there might be something unsuitable for young or sensitive viewers, in which case Buffy will just have to stay home. Along with Grandma, who didn't wanna go to the movies anyway. Now if a movie's rated PG-13, it might have some material in there that Mommy and Daddy might not like some of the young kids to see, so Jody might just have to stay home. Now if the movie's rated R, then it's gonna contain some adult material. In which case Dad, who's got a lazy tummy, will probably wanna stay home. But if the movie's rated NC-17, that means that kids can't get in, only adults can get in. Mom doesn't wanna see adult movies, but Grandpa was in the Army, and he's not bothered very much and so he decides to stay, along with Sergeant Scruffy, who's just a dumb dog anyway."

(The above also accurately describes the diminishing returns often experienced by films as they attain more-adult ratings, most notably, as referenced earlier, the NC-17 "box office poison" rating.)

At least during their heyday in The '80s, premium movie channels like HBO and Cinemax would display a film's MPAA rating immediately before the film would start (this being before the TV ratings bug would be introduced). Later on they mixed this with closed caption notices, etc. Anything rated R or beyond would be shown only during the watershed. Today the networks tend to use the TV ratings, with the majority of original series seemingly default-rated at TV-MA.

You can find more about the American ratings process in the documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated .

Video game classifications

These are similar and yet slightly different:

• Entertainment Software Rating Board
• Pan European Game Information
• Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle

ESRB (USA and Canada)

• Ages 3+ — eC (Early Childhood); obsolete as of 2018
• Ages 6+ — E (Everyone); originally known as KA (Kids-Adults) until 1998
• Ages 10+ — E10+ (Everyone 10+)
• Ages 13+ — T (Teen)
• Ages 17+ — M (Mature)
• Ages 18+ — AO (Adults only)

E used to be KA (Kids to Adults) up until early 1998. It was most likely changed due to the belief that it would be interpreted as being similar to the MPAA's G rating. E10+ was introduced in 2005 as an in-between rating similar to the PG rating (in concept, anyway) thanks to Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, which contained a heavy amount of brutal fisticuffs and yet was still a Donkey Kong game (do the math and go figure). It was quickly abused, turning into a sort of Spotlight-Stealing Squad for video game ratings - to give you an idea of how bad it is, loud noises are apparently a reason to rate a game E10+ instead of a straight E. There is also RP (Rating Pending), which is only used in advertising when a game has been submitted, but hasn't yet received its final rating.

You might be confused as to why the top rating is only one year older than the second rating. Generally, only things with pornographic content, or at least borderline porn, give a game the AO rating, and it's quite possible the highest rating was made to conform with general pornography laws, when they otherwise felt that 17 is the true developmental cutoff. An AO rating is a death sentence to a game's financial viability, as every large retailer will refuse to stock AO games, and the current major consoles refuse to license them (making them exceedingly rare to encounter as the only AO-rated games ever released were actual porn games issued during the 1990s during a short-lived flirtation the adult-film industry had with producing PC/Mac-exclusive content). The eC rating was rarely used prior to its abandonment, with only 268 titles having that mark (mostly specialized titles specifically made for young children), and most publishers went for an E rating to avoid that Kiss of Death.

On the back of a game's box will be the rating, plus some predefined content warnings: Suggestive Themes, Animated Violence, Cartoon Mischief, et cetera...

ESRB ratings are technically voluntary, but the big three console makers (Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft) require them for all releases, as such all console games from major AAA titles to small indie releases have one. On PC things are much more lenient however, as most stores will allow games without ratings, thus PC-exclusive titles tend to be released unrated (even Valve themselves releases their PC-exclusives on Steam unrated).

Predating the ESRB in North America is Sega's V.R.C. (Videogame Rating Council), which used a system that was essentially a simplified version of ESRB's system:

• Ages 6+ — GA General Audiences
• Ages 13+ — MA-13 Mature (13+)
• Ages 17+ — MA-17 Mature (17+)

In theory, the VRC was open to anybody, though it was overseen by Sega of America. In practice, it was only present on Sega games and third-party games for Sega consoles from 1993 until late 1994, when the ESRB was formed; most of the rest of the industry ignored it.

Also co-existing for a short time in the aftermath of the senate hearings that prompted the creation of the ESRB was Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSAC). Whereas ESRB was essentially console based, being headed up by Sega and Nintendo, RSAC was a system developed by primarily PC developers. For various reasons, RSAC never took off. It rated games according to thermometers - a thermometer for violence, sex, etc along with qualifiers. It was founded in 1994, closed in 1999 and reformed into Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). However, ICRA ended up getting shut down in October 2010, because it never achieved widespread acceptance.

A similar ratings system exists for arcade games, except maintained by the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA). Despite being conceptualized sometime in the late 90s with the proliferation of the ESRB, the AAMA ratings system has more in common with the V.R.C. ratings system. Cabinets were assigned colored stickers to display on the marquee with a brief content description, usually describing the kind of violence depicted in the game. Games would also display a content warning during its Attract Mode corresponding to its AAMA rating. Unlike other ratings systems, the color of the sticker a game received was based on the level of inappropriate content presented within the game instead of age appropriateness:

• Suitable for All Ages — Green Sticker
• Mild Content — Yellow Sticker
• Strong Content — Red Sticker

Unlike the ESRB, the AAMA seems to be purely voluntary, as not all arcade cabinets carry an AAMA rating, likely owing to the more unregulated nature of arcade games. Despite this, many major arcade manufacturers like Capcom and Namco had their cabinets rated until recently. As the arcade industry in North America became more and more of a niche, many recent games do not carry an AAMA sticker, despite the AAMA ratings board existing to this day.

PEGI ("Pan-European Game Information", Europe except for Germany and the Austrian state of Salzburg)

• Ages 3+ (4+ in Portugal)
• Ages 7+ (6+ in Portugal)
• Ages 12+ (used to be 11+ in Finland)
• Ages 16+ (formerly 15+ in Finland)
• Ages 18+

Legal enforcement varies by region.

Add to this one or more icons indicating what gave it such a rating: offensive language, behaviors that can be construed as discrimination based on race, creed, ethnicity, and sex (including abuse against women and anyone who isn't heterosexual or doesn't identify as their birth gender), drug abuse, gambling, horror, sexual content (including innuendo and female characters in Stripperiffic clothing), and violence. However, those ratings are seemingly as random as those in North America, as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess got 12+ for "violence". There's also the problem that it doesn't list what kind of violence is 12+ as opposed to 16+ violence. Perhaps it's due to a NICAM (the Dutch rating board that decides on these PEGI ratings) policy that also never seems to disclose why a movie is suitable for all ages despite it being about incest.

And as for visual novels, the PEGI doesn't consider them true games and as such will only rate their interactive parts; while this doesn't affect novels on the most interactive side of the spectrum such as Ace Attorney, this effectively skewers kinetic novels (visual novels completely devoid of interaction), leading to such hilarity as the official French release of the Higurashi: When They Cry sound novels, completely uncensored, getting slapped with a 7+ rating.

USK (Germany)

• Restricted 0 (No age restriction)
• Restricted 6
• Restricted 12
• Restricted 16
• Restricted 18

The USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle) is the video game classification board of Germany, and it is legally enforceable. Games that are refused classification are placed on the "Index" and can only been bought on request to over 18s and cannot be advertised. Due to its strict censorship policies, many German gamers have had to import video games from Austria (another German-speaking country) as it uses PEGI.

BBFC (UK)

• U
• PG
• 12
• 15
• 18
• R18 - this is used when the content is not merely raunchy sex scenes or a few horrible murders, but for hardcore pornography films.

As of 2010 the BBFC system is mostly unused for games, having been replaced by PEGI for that. The only times it is used is if a game contains pornographic content, or if it contains Bonus Material that is separate from the game. Prior to this the BBFC and PEGI systems co-existed, and which games were rated by which groups was seemingly random. The main difference was that BBFC ratings could be legally enforced (as they are with films), whereas PEGI ratings were enforced voluntarily. As of the 2010 law however, PEGI ratings now have a legal basis to back them up, which made the BBFC ratings redundant.

CERO (Japan)

• A (全年齢対象) - All Ages
• B (12才以上対象) - Ages 12+
• C (15才以上対象) - Ages 15+
• D (17才以上対象) - Ages 17+
• Z (18才以上のみ対象) - Ages 18+ Only. These titles are legally obligated to be held behind counters and advertising for these titles is forbidden. They may only be purchased online if the individual has a credit card account (since, with very rare exceptions, minors under 18 cannot get their own credit cards).
• Educational/Database (教育・データベース) - Only applied to non-game educational/utility software released on console.
• Rating Scheduled (審査予定) - Applied when a game isn't assigned its final rating. The CERO's equivalent to the ESRB's RP.
• Regulations-Compatible (規定適合) - Only applied to trial version of games.

Content descriptors (those aren't assigned on A or Educational/Database-rated games):

• Romance (恋愛) - represented by two hearts
• Sexual Content (セクシャル) - represented by female and male symbols
• Violence (暴力) - represented by a hand holding a knife
• Horror (恐怖) - represented by a ghost
• Drinking/Smoking (飲酒・喫煙) - represented by a glass and cigarettes
• Gambling (ギャンブル) - represented by a sack of yen
• Crime (犯罪) - represented by a gun
• Drugs (麻薬等薬物) - represented by a syringe
• Language (言葉・その他) - represented by a speech bubble with an X

The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) is the video game classification board of Japan. Here, the only legally enforceable rating is the Z rating. So if you're under 17, you can get a D-rated game. As with the PEGI system, it adds icons that show why the game got this rating: romantic themes, sexual content, violence, horror, gambling, crime, use of tobacco and alcohol, use of drugs, and language.

The CERO originally had 4 age ratings when it started in 2003:

• 全年齢/Free (全年齢対象) - All Ages
• 12 (12才以上対象) - Ages 12+
• 15 (15才以上対象) - Ages 15+
• 18 (18才以上対象) - Ages 18+

Since there was a gap between 15 and 18, the rating system was redesigned in 2006.

Sega had their own rating system in Japan between 1994 and 2000 (i.e. the Sega Saturn era and the first half of the Dreamcast phase), with a different colored label for each rating: a green label for "all ages," a yellow label for "18+ recommended," and a red label for the 18+ "X" rating (which was mostly applied to strip mahjong games, though it was also applied to Mortal Kombat II and, strangely enough, a Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki fan disc). Sega also had a "violent content" advisory label, which is still used to supplement the CERO ratings.

GRAC (South Korea)

• ALL (전체이용가) - All Ages
• 12 (12세 이용가) - Ages 12+
• 15 (15세 이용가) - Ages 15+
• 19 (청소년 이용불가) - Ages 19+ Only
• TEST (평가용) - Used when a game is demonstrated or if its rating is pending.
• R (등급분류거부) - Rejected

Content descriptors (only attributed to 12, 15 or 19-rated games, save for Violence, which can also be attributed to ALL-rated games):

• Sexuality (선정성)
• Violence (폭련성)
• Fear, Horror, Threatening (공포)
• Language (언어의 부적절성)
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Drug (약물)
• Crime, Anti-societal (범죄)
• Gambling (사행성)

The Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC)^note Previously known as the Game Rating Board (GRB) until 2013 is the video game classification board of South Korea, established in 2006, though the country already had game ratings prior.

Other Ratings

Anime & Manga

Many English versions of manga have ratings on the back, although nobody really pays attention to them at all. The ratings usually go as follows:

• A: All Ages, with absolutely nothing offensive whatsoever except maybe one obscure Parental Bonus. Viz allows for mild language (slang like 'crap') and fantasy violence at this rating, while some publishers require an All Ages to be squeaky clean. Similar to G.
• Y: Youth, 7 and up. Chaste kissing and monster fights go under here. Similar to PG. (The now-deceased Tokyopop had this ratings separated into two categories at 7+ and 10+ levels.)
• T: 13 and up. Innuendo and blood. On rare occasion, mature themes alone can push a series to a T rating. (Example: Bunny Drop lacks anything objectionable until the incest plotline comes into play later in the series.) Most shonen is on this level. Similar to PG-13.
• OT: Older Teens, 16 and up. Stuffed with fanservice or gorn. Some books may be shrinkwrapped at this rating. Similar to R, although some series with this rating have been adapted with a TV-14 rating, such as Death Note.
• M: Mature, either really gory or hentai, both (let's not think about that), other types of disturbing / heavy content, or gay relationships ^note may qualify as Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking. Similar to NC-17. Shrinkwrapped and usually not in bookstores anyway, but the papers are all too eager to inform you that some ten-year-old could pick it up in the library. (Which isn't too far from the truth. If a younger reader tries to check out Ghost in the Shell or AKIRA, libraries can't do much beyond suggest that it's inappropriate; it's not their job to decide what your kids are allowed to read, and without direct instructions from the parents many libraries won't deny materials to patrons.)

Anime on North American home media used to have a separate rating system, but nowadays the US TV ratings (or the MPAA ratings for theatrically released films) are used in conjunction with the Canadian home video ratings. It wasn't uncommon in the late 90s and early 2000s to see stickers like these◊ on the covers of VHS tapes, and later on the back of DVDs. While some companies like Geneon relied on common age rating rounds like 13-up or 16-up, ADV Films would slap any number on them. The only company that still uses this "_ and up/_ and older" system as of 2016 is Media Blasters.

Porn

Not actually rated per se, though producers may use multiple "X" labels to imply that their movie is even raunchier than an ordinary vanilla X. XXX or "Triple-X" seems to be the most common usage. As ratings are completely unofficial and not backed by any organization, there is no hard and fast (haha) distinction between X, XXX, or any other number of X's. Unofficially, however, XXX generally denotes "hardcore" pornography (depiction of penetration of an orifice, either with a body part or other object, or depiction of ejection of bodily fluids) and single X denotes "softcore" pornography (lacking any depictions of such). In Canada, porn films are required to be classified while their US cousins do not require that.

• If you live in the UK, porn is usually rated R18 by the BBFC. However, pornography laws in Britain are quite stringent on what's acceptable and what's not. The most obvious examples are prohibiting female golden showers and other extreme activities (which was banned in 2014 under David Cameron's Tory Government) that is banned on British soil. Perhaps why the UK has the strictest pornography laws in all of Europe.
• Australia on the other hand has a long tumultuous history of harsh censorship (especially porn). Since 1984, all states have banned the X rating for porn (except for those in the A.C.T and Northern Territory). Because of this, most titles are either refused classification, refused to be sold without edits or not be sold in Australia at all. Female golden showers have always been banned in Australia.
• New Zealand is not so much harsh on porn despite some communities being divided on that. However they still has issues with one (particularly any depiction of urolagnia which is illegal in NZ. However, there is a harsh punishment: a person can be sentenced to 14 years of jail if objectionable content is being produced, being shared or being sold). The FVPC Act 1993 is enforced for these departments (including NZ Customs, Department of Internal Affairs and NZ Police) to ensure all content are abide by New Zealand law. In order to be released in NZ, it must not contain objectionable material and must be aligned with Australia because certain titles have already been altered already for the Australasian market and classified by the Australian Classification Board. Some of them from North America and Europe are allowed to be sold in NZ, but on one condition, they must abide NZ censorship laws. if unsure what is allowed or not allowed in NZ, you can refer to this

Fan Fiction

The FictionRatings system is a self-imposed voluntary system used by online publishers, most notably FanFiction.Net and Fictionpress, who switched from the MPAA ratings when the MPAA objected. Very rarely used by other fanfiction sites since they're copyrighted to Fanfiction.net and because of the ubiquity and simplicity of the MPAA and BBFC systems.

• B — ages 1-4 and preschool-level children, no violence, swearing, adult themes or ideas young children cannot comprehend. As anyone younger than five has no business being on Fanfiction.net in any way, and the majority of Fanfiction.net's stories involving preschool franchises and characters are very adult parodies which would scar any child for life, this rating was quickly phased out of the system entirely. Similar to the ESRB's equally unused eC rating.
• K — ages 5+, no violence, swearing or adult themes. Similar to G or the ESRB's for Everyone Rating.
• K+ — ages 9+, mild violence or swearing and no adult themes. Similar to PG or Everyone 10+ Rating.
• T — ages 13+, violence, mild language or mild adult themes. Similar to PG-13 or Teen Rating.
• M — ages 16+, strong adult themes, language or violence. Similar to R or Mature Rating. Filtered by default on Fanfiction.net searches, which leads to an inversion of the Rated M for Money effect where writers sometimes hesitate to give adult-oriented stories an M rating for fear of losing potential readers.
• MA — ages 18+, explicit adult themes. Similar to NC-17 or Adults Only Rating (ESRB). Controversially not allowed on Fanfiction.Net, at least in theory; in practice the administration seems to turn a blind eye to M-rated lemons beyond a cosmetic purge occasionally when some group en masse complains about them to satisfy their concerns, usually the infamous "Critics United".

AdultFanFiction.net, an archive set up when Fanfiction.net banned MA stories, has its own system:

• Adult — R
• Adult+ — NC-17
• Adult++ — Hardcore porn that makes Grindhouse movies look tasteful.

A similar rating system also runs on Archive of Our Own, a similar yet independent fan fiction site (Which ironically has a Fandom Rivalry with the above Fanfiction Dot Net due to the restrictions the latter carried):

• Not Rated — Exactly What It Says on the Tin. For searching, screening, and other Archive functions, this may get treated the same way as mature and explicit-rated content.
• General Audiences — The content is unlikely to be disturbing to anyone, and is suitable for all ages.
• Teen And Up Audiences — The content may be inappropriate for audiences under 13.
• Mature — The content contains adult themes (sex, violence, etc) that aren't as strong as explicit-rated content.
• Explicit — The content contains explicit adult themes, such as porn, graphic violence, etc.

If someone who doesn't have an account with the site reads a "Not Rated", "Mature" or "Explicit" rated work, they will receive a warning to advise them that the work may contain adult content. If they have an account with Archive of Our Own, however, they can just have the said warning disabled in their preferences, averting it.

Newgrounds

Newgrounds uses a system similar to the ESRB.

• E: Suitable for all ages.
• T: Recommended for ages 13 and above.
• M: Recommended for ages 17 and above.
• A: Recommended for ages 18 and above.

To search for games rated A, you must be signed in in an account.

Mexico

Mexico legally has only four alphabetical ratings, but most theaters make up for it with a couple of unofficial classifications:

• AA: Unofficial, usually means ages 7 and under.
• A: All ages.
• B: 12 years and older.
• B15: Unofficial, usually means older teenagers, 15+.
• C: Adults only. Theaters start asking here for voting cards (the official ID in Mexico).
• D: Contains highly inappropriate material. Usually means some softcore or a lot of Gorn. Hostel was one of the few films to receive this profitable honor.

Australia

In Australia, films and video games have six main levels of ratings:

• E — Exempt from classification (documentary, sport, news)
• G — for all ages
• PG — Parental Guidance is recommended to persons under 15 years old
• M — Recommended for Mature Audiences over 15 years.
• MA15+ (Restricted 15+) — for Mature Audiences, restricted to over 15 years without parental guidance
• R18+ (Restricted 18+) — Adults only
• X18+ (Restricted 18+) — Porn (available only in Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory due to state laws)
• RC (unofficial) — Refused Classification; as such, it is unlawful to sell, import and exhibit.

Aussie TV uses a similar system, designed by Free TV Australia:

• G — for All ages
• PG — Parental Guidance is recommended to young persons
• M — for Mature Audiences (Watershed 20:30)
• MA15+ — for Mature Audiences (Watershed 21:00)
• AV15+ — for Programs with a lot of Violence (Watershed 21:30) (As of Dec 1 2015, the AV15+ no longer being used)

United States Bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Catholic News Service has its own ratings system for films (detailed here). These are not binding on Catholics, and are widely unknown or ignored today, though the organization's more active precursor, the Legion of Decency, helped pressure the Hollywood studios into enforcing The Hays Code. The classifications are:

• A-I — general patronage
• A-II — adults and adolescents
• A-III — adults
• L^note formerly known as A-IV (adults, with reservations) — "films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, require caution" — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling
• O — morally offensive. The O rating replaced the former B ("morally objectionable in part for all") and C (condemned) ratings in 1978.

The Netherlands

Kijkwijzer is the Netherlands' rating system for everything except video games, which are covered by PEGI. As noted above, the ratings are age-based and mostly self-explanatory. As with PEGI, Kijkwijzer uses pictograms to describe the reasons for content ratings: violence, fear, sex, discrimination, drugs and/or alcohol abuse, and coarse language. Note that only the 16+ rating is required to be enforced, all other age ratings are merely suggestions. More recently, the system introduced the 14+ and 18+ ratings, to bridge the gap between 12+ and 16+ and because the 16+ category was considered too large (it included both hard PG-13 material as well as hardcore porn).

Russia

Russian classification system was introduced in 2012 by Protect Children from Information Act (the actual name). Classification covers all kinds of media (movies, TV and radio programming, music, books, video games, websites, magazines and papers, except news broadcasts and commercials), and it grades them all by the same rank. Only movies are rated by the actual board - Ministry of Culture - during the cerfication process. Everything else must be rated by the publisher on their discretion, although they can be fined if the rating wasn't representative.

• 0+: Allows nothing that could damage the well-being of children. Safe to say not every Disney fairy tale would make the cut.
• 6+: Allows brief description of illness, accidents and mentions of natural death in a way that doesn't induce children's panic.
• 12+: Allows brief violence without gruesome descriptions of killing/crippling (with condemnation of said actions in narration and compassion to the victim); brief mention of smoking, drinking, gambling in a non-provocative way without showing the actual process or products; relations between man and woman without mentioning sex, should be tasteful, inoffensive and non-obscene. One kiss raises the bar here.
• 16+: Accidents, catastrophes, car crashes and natural deaths demonstrated in a way that doesn't induce children's panic or horror. Violence and brutality (non-sexual) with condemnation of said actions in narration and compassion to the victim. Brief using of swear words (non-vulgar). Relations between man and woman could be more sexual, but still non-obscene and without mentioning the act itself. Mentions of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs by their names in a non-provocative way still without showing the actual process or products. Yes, TV channels actually blurring cigarettes out of people's mouths on all programming.
• 18+: Forbidden for kids. Over-the-air TV programming rated 18+ allowed only after 11pm. Mentions and descriptions of sex (porno still not allowed on TV); using drugs; smoking, gambling and drinking (it still have to be condemned though, so TV channels nowadays just air the standard anti-smoking bumper before every program to comply without cutting the scenes); violence; swear words (vulgarities are prohibited on TV and radio regardless of rating); everything above that could induce children's panic. Everything that defies family values, including propaganda of homosexual relationships, provoking disrespect to parents or other family members. That brilliant line covers every single dysfunctional family sitcom in existence, which usually results in heavy cuts to make them 16+ (especially the scenes with rebellious kids defying authority).

As you can see, on one hand, said system is extremely harsh, taken from the deep dark corners of Moral Guardians collective mind. But on the other hand, they completely forgot to add any age checking initiative into said law (so it only works when you go to a cinema, or when you buy something in a real store, or when you go to a concert, but everywhere else they apparently expect children to self-moderate). Since there are no V-chips on the market, TV channels essentially treat 16+ rating as "For general audiences", because it's less restricting one that doesn't require watershed, and they know for a fact it doesn't stop children to watch it in any way - 90% of all programming on Russian TV bears the rating. Radio stations have buried somewhere in their station I.D. a Motor Mouth warning "the programming on this station is rated 16+" and got away with it. Websites also must have a rating - so Russian websites put it in the bottom of the page (Go ahead and try to find one here)

France

• U: Tous public or For everyone
• U!: (TV Equivalent: -10): For everyone, but not recommended for kids
• -12: Restricted to 12 and over
• -16: Restricted to 16 and over
• -18: Restricted to 18 and over

The French rating system is quite possibly the most lenient of any, both in Europe and in the world. Nudity and/or sexual content is actually considered very lenient, almost stereotypical, though a lot of it comes from having no real guideline; especially looking at the examples provided here.

TV is a little stricter than the film ratings, but even then, are still more allowing than other systems, compared to the United States or Canada. (For example, South Park airs with a -10 rating, compared to other countries giving something close to 16 or 18 and over, completely uncut.)

Sweden

• Btl (Barntillåten) - All ages allowed
• 7 (Från 7 år) - For ages 7 and older (children under 7 allowed with a parent or adult guardian)
• 11 (Från 11 år) - For ages 11 and older (children 7-10 allowed with a parent or adult guardian)
• 15 (Från 15 år) - For ages 15 and older (children 7-14 allowed with a parent or adult guardian)

Like France, Sweden pays little if any attention to sexual content or profanity in films, and pays more attention to its impact on a child. Not all films rated Btl" would be considered necessarily kid friendly by American standards, as many American would find it quite the opposite many cases. Films with lots of adult humor/content like Magic Mike, The Aristocrats, Get Him to the Greek, Bridesmaids and American Pie have all received a Btl rating. Even films that most countries have rated for adult audiences, like Sausage Party and The Hangover were given a fairly lenient 11 rating.

The fact that ratings don't go higher than 15 would viewed by many in English speaking countries such as U.S., U.K., and Australia as bringing some potentially upsetting implications, since legally, young high schoolers can see some of the grisliest, gnarliest films imaginable without their parents knowing and Elementary school kids can see this content with their parents.

Italy

• T - Tutti or Everyone.
• 6+ - Not recommended for children under 6.
• 14+ - Restricted to 14 and over. Persons 12 and 13 may watch if accompanied by an adult.
• 18+ - Restricted to 18 and over. Persons 16 and 17 may watch if accompanied by an adult.

The Italian rating system may be easily the most lenient one towards violence; sexual content is usually treated a bit more strictly, with explicit and/or crude sex references often garnering a 14+ at minimum.

Japan

• G - Everyone
• PG-12 - Under 12 must be accompanied
• R-15 - No one under 15 admitted
• R-18 - No one under 18 admitted

As a far as rating systems go, Japan can be pretty lax for an Asian country (according to IMDb, at least), though it is not the most lenient one. Notable for the sheer number of horror flicks that are rated G, which could make you believe that, adult content aside, scaring children to death isn't something that is frowned upon there. Aside from the usual concerns of sex, violence, and drug use, one notable issue that is frowned upon is underage smoking and drinking (hence why films as diverse as the Back to the Future trilogy, Sing Street, and Dead Poets Society are all rated PG-12).

Films only rated "R for language" in the United States (like Begin Again) usually earn a G because in Japan, the film would only appear to contain mild language.

PG-12 already includes a lot of R-rated stuff; a film usually has to be very gory or adult to get a R-15 (Battle Royale, Sausage Party, and Joker have this rating, for instance), though the boundaries between ratings may seem a little random by Western standards. When a film does get an R-18, it’s nearly always for sexual content.

Similar to the BBFC, although the R-18 rating isn’t considered box office poison, some studios have opted to cut their films for an R-15 in theaters to expand their audience, and release them on video uncut. In the case of the first Fifty Shades of Grey, this method backfired horrendously; after Universal was widely criticized for the censored R-15 version on Twitter, it released the uncut R-18 version in theaters several months later, and the other two installments did not suffer the same cuts.

Television

Some countries do not have a classification rating system for television (i.e. the United Kingdom, Japan, China) while others do. Television ratings are there for a reason — to inform and warn both children and sensitive viewers about the content that is shown on television. The television rating systems reflect the political, cultural and religious attitudes of different societies.

Australia

Currently there is no 18+ rating for television in Australia due to strict broadcasting laws imposed. The ratings system on television in Australia is different for each of them.

Commercial Television (Seven, Nine and Ten Networks plus regional television across Australia)

• P (Preschool)
• C (Children)
• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is Recommended for persons under 15 years of age)
• M (Recommended for Mature Audiences 15 years and over)
• MA15+ (Not suitable for persons under the age of 15)

Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Foxtel

• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is Recommended for persons under 15 years of age)
• M (Recommended for Mature Audiences 15 years and over)
• MA15+(Not suitable for persons under the age of 15)

SBS (including SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies and NITV)

• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is Recommended for persons under 15 years of age)
• M (Recommended for Mature Audiences 15 years and over)
• MA15+ (Not suitable for persons under the age of 15)
• AV15+ (Contains Adult Violent Content; Not suitable for persons under the age of 15)

Australia does have a reputation of being strict on all media and television is one of them. Even with an R18+ classification, it is still prohibited on television even on Pay television and would require to be edited down for MA15+ or MAV15+.

Canada

English speaking

• C (Children under 8)
• C8 (Children 8 years and over)
• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is Recommended)
• 14+ (Not suitable for persons under the age of 14)
• 18+ (Not suitable for persons under the age of 18)

French Speaking (Quebec)

• G (General Audiences)
• 8+ (For persons 8 years and over)
• 13+ (For persons 13 years and over)
• 16+ (For persons 16 years and over)
• 18+ (For persons 18 years and over)

Unlike their US neighbours, Canada tends to be more lenient towards coarse language, sex and nudity as long as it is aired after 9pm. Canada's only Francophone province Quebec follows similar procedures.

France

Some programmes shown in France do not have a classification rating and therefore it is suitable for all audiences. However if they show a rating of -10, -12, -16 or -18 it must be displayed throughout the entire program. These ratings are enforced by the CSA since 2002

• -10 (Déconseillé aux moins de 10; English: Not recommended for children under 10) Unsuitable for persons under the age of 10)
• -12 (Déconseillé aux moins de 12; English: Not recommended for children under 12) Unsuitable for persons under the age of 12)
• -16 (Déconseillé aux moins de 16; English: Not recommended for children under 16) Unsuitable for persons under the age of 16)
• -18 (Déconseillé aux moins de 18; English: Not recommended for persons under 18) Suitable only for adults only 18 years and over)

Germany

The Freiweillige Selbstkontrolle Fernshen (FSF) ensures that all broadcasters across Germany to display a warning that reads

Die nachfolgende Sendung ist für Zuschauer unter 16/18 Jahren nicht geeignet

This only applies to programmes that are rated FSK-16 or FSK-18.

Hong Kong

The current TV classification ratings in Hong Kong was introduced in 1995.

If a programme does not have a classification rating, it is likely to be suitable for all audiences.

Here are only two classification ratings that are displayed on television in Hong Kong:

• PG (Parental Guidance is Suggested)
• M (Intended for Mature Audiences only)

Indonesia

About 87% of Indonesia’s population is devoutly Muslim, Indonesia’s classification ratings for television is rather strict. Any material that is considered obscene or immoral are either banned or being censored for the protection of both children and adults based on cultural and religious values as well as health and safety. However this is dependent by the television networks (TVRI, RCTI, SCTV, GTV, Net, Indosiar etc) that are policed by the KPI

The current ratings being used:

• SU (Semua Umum)(English: General Audiences) For all audiences
• A (Anak)(English: Children) Suitable for Kids
• R (Remaja)(English: Teenager) Suitable for Teenagers
• BO (Bimbingtan Orangtua)(English: Parental Guidance) Parental Guidance Is Recommended (note: The A and R ratings may be accompanied)
  • A-BO (Anak-Bimbingtan Oranguta) (English: Children with Parental Guidance) Suitable for children with guidance of a parent).
  • R-BO (Remaja-Bimbingtan Orangtua)(English: Teenager with Parental Guidance) Suitable for teenagers with guidance of a parent.
• D (Dewasa)(English: Adult/Mature) Suitable only for Mature Audiences (NB: The D rating does not excuse them to air adult content because due to Indonesian broadcasting and decency laws such material such as explicit violence, coarse language, sex and nudity because they are severely censored for cultural and religious reasons as well as political).

Ireland

RTÉ is the only television network in Ireland to have a classification ratings while other networks such as Virgin Media One etc would only air verbal announcements if a programme is aired after the 9pm watershed.

Classification Ratings used by all RTÉ channels

• GA (General Audiences)
• CH (Children)
• PS (Parental Supervision)
• MA (Mature Audiences)

New Zealand

As of May 1st 2020, the old G, PGR and AO classification ratings have been retired after 3 decades since they were introduced in 1989 under the Broadcasting Act 1989.

Current Ratings (as of May 1st 2020)

• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is recommended for young viewers)
• M (Recommended for Mature Audiences 16 years and over)
• 16 (People under 16 should not view)
• 18 (People under 18 should not view)

In addition, advisory labels are present if Rated PG or above:

• C (Content may offend)
• V (Contains Violence)
• L (Language may offend)
• S (Sexual content May offend)

For example: a programme has been rated M-L (Contains coarse language) or 16-S (Contains sexual content and nudity).

Timebands

• G and PG rated programmes can be shown at any time
• M rated programmes are shown on different times
  • Free to Air: M rated programmes can be shown between 9am and 3pm only on school days. It must not be shown on weekends, public or school holidays till after 7:30pm until 5am
  • Pay Television: M rated programmes can be shown anytime which requires mandatory filtering if possible.
• 16 and 18 rated programmes can’t be shown till after the watershed
  • Free to Air: 16 rated programmes can be shown between 8:30pm and 5am. 18 rated programmes can be shown between 9:30pm and 5am
  • Pay Television: 16 rated programmes can be shown anytime as long filtering technology is appropriately applied. 18 rated programmes can be shown between 9am and 3pm only on school days (unless it is shown anytime and mandatory filtering is applied only to 18-rated shows), but cannot be shown on public holidays, school holidays and weekends till after 8pm till 6am.

Singapore

Since 2011, Singapore uses the MDA ratings for films has now applied to television. Only three of them are allowed on free to air while others on cable or on demand only.

Shown on Singaporean Free to Air television

• G (General Audiences)
• PG (Parental Guidance is Recommended)
• PG13 (For persons 13 years and over) (NB: This can be shown only between 10pm and 6am)

Shown on Singaporean Cable television or On Demand

• NC16 (Not suitable for persons aged 16 years and under)
• M18 (For viewers over the age of 18)
• R21 (For viewers 21 viewers years and over) (OnDemand only)

Programs classified PG or higher must issue a notification. G rated programs do not.

United States

The TV Parental Guidelines ratings

• TV-Y (Children under 7)
• TV-Y7 (Children 7 years and over)
• TV-Y7-FV (Children 7 years and over with Fantasy Violence)
• TV-G (Suitable for all audiences)
• TV-PG (Parental Guidance is Suggested)
• TV-14 (Parents strongly cautioned: Content not suitable for persons under 14)
• TV-MA (Intended for Mature Audiences only 17 years and over; occasionally used on cable, but rarely on network television)

In addition, there are 4 symbols:

• D (Suggestive Dialogue)
• L (Language)
• S (Sexual Situations)
• V (Violence)

TV ratings in the US, as with ratings for other media, are completely voluntary, though they are used for almost all programming except news, sports and other live programming. Premium movie channels like HBO, Showtime, etc. may also not rate movies and use their MPA ratings instead. TV ratings are applied by the networks rather than a single ratings body, as such what is considered suitable for a given rating may vary from channel to channel (in some cases, the same programming may have a different rating depending on where it's being aired).

Unlike other media though, TV also has certain content that is legally restricted from being aired due to its status as a broadcast medium, and these restrictions are separate from the ratings system. This includes things such as strong profanity, nudity, and any other content that is "obscene". These restrictions however only apply to free-to-air TV and not cable TV, streaming, etc. as they are not broadcast media, and even then the restrictions are lifted during the late-night "safe harbor" hours where children are unlikely to be watching.

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