History

<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-TMJ5NVP');</script>  <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>History</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Raleway" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.7.0/css/font-awesome.min.css" /> <link href="/Content/css?v=NC1s8T0OGMET62bzIM0Cjdunz2YSlKcKCogTUbVmedE1" rel="stylesheet"/> <script src="/bundles/modernizr?v=wBEWDufH_8Md-Pbioxomt90vm6tJN2Pyy9u9zHtWsPo1"></script> </head> <body>  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-TMJ5NVP" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <div class="pageheader pageheader-history hidden-xs"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div id="fr-sidebar" class="col-sm-3 sidebar-brand"> <a href="/"><img src="/Images/filmratings_logo.png" /></a> </div> <div class="col-sm-9">  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="mobileheader" class="hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-2"> <button type="button" id="frToggle" class="btn btn-mobileheader" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#frMobileNav"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-menu-hamburger"></span> </button> </div> <div class="col-xs-8" id="mobile-logo"> <a href="/"> <img id="logoHorizontal" src="/Images/filmratings_logo_horizontal.png" /> </a> </div> <div class="col-xs-10" id="mobile-search-form" style="display: none;"> <div class="form-group"> <div class="input-group"> 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class="">RESOURCES</a> </li> <li style="background: url('../../Images/nav_bg_history.png');"> <a href="/History" class="active">HISTORY</a> </li> <li style="background: url('../../Images/nav_bg_about.png');"> <a href="/About" class="">ABOUT US</a> </li> <li style="background: url('../../Images/nav_bg_filmmakers.png');"> <a href="/Filmmakers" class="">FILMMAKERS</a> </li> </ul> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="top-content-container"> <div class="container"> <div class="row is-table-row"> <div class="col-sm-3 sidebar-nav hidden-xs"> <nav id="frMainNav" class="navbar navbar-left"> <ul class="nav navbar-stacked"> <li><a href="/Tips" class="">TIPS FOR PARENTS</a></li> <li><a href="/News" class="">NEWS & UPDATES</a></li> <li><a href="/RatingsGuide" class="">RATINGS GUIDE</a></li> <li><a href="/Resources" class="">RESOURCES</a></li> <li><a href="/History" class="active">HISTORY</a></li> <li><a href="/About" class="">ABOUT US</a></li> <li><a href="/Filmmakers" class="">FILMMAKERS</a></li> </ul> </nav> <div class="sidebar-search"> <div class="sidebar-searchtitle">MOVIE RATING SEARCH</div> <div class="sidebar-search-top"> <form method="get" action="/Search"> <input type="text" name="filmTitle" placeholder="TITLE OF FILM" class="sidebar-search-title"> <input type="image" src="/Images/search_button.png"> </form> </div> <div class="sidebar-search-bottom"> <form method="get" action="/Search"> <input type="text" name="filmYear" placeholder="YEAR" class="sidebar-search-year"> <select name="filmRating" class="sidebar-search-rating"> <option id="phRating" selected="selected">RATING</option> <option value="G">G</option> <option value="PG">PG</option> <option value="PG-13">PG-13</option> <option value="R">R</option> <option value="NC-17">NC-17</option> <option value="X">X</option> <option value="GP">GP</option> <option value="M">M</option> <option value="M/PG">M/PG</option> </select><input type="image" src="/Images/search_button.png"> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="topContent" class="col-sm-9"> <h1>HISTORY OF RATINGS</h1> <p>Today’s voluntary movie rating system is aimed at giving parents the information they need to decide whether a film is appropriate for their family.</p> <p>The current rating system emerged in 1968, when MPAA chairman Jack Valenti replaced the earlier moral censorship guidelines, known as the Hays Code, with a revolutionary new parent-focused rating system. While the Hays Code authorized a movie for distribution based on whether it was deemed “moral” according to an exhaustive list of rules, the current movie rating system was born out of the simple notion that the movie industry wouldn’t approve or disapprove what audiences should see, but instead would focus on “freeing the screen” and educating parents to help them make movie-going decisions for their family. The current Classification & Ratings Administration (CARA), with a rating board made up of an independent group of parents, gives advance cautionary warnings to families about a movie’s content. CARA’s mission is to afford parents the tools they need to make informed decisions about what their children watch.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <section class="bgEvolution"> <div class="container"> <a href="/Content/Downloads/130208_ratings-timeline.final.pdf" target="_blank"> <img src="/Images/130208_ratings-timeline.png" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div> </section> <div class="container"> <div style="margin: 15px 0;"> <p>These ratings equip parents with comprehensive and easy to digest resources. In addition to letter ratings, CARA provides brief descriptions of the specifics behind a movie’s rating. These descriptors apply to every movie rated PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. (Movies rated G do not carry descriptors as the content presented in them is suitable for all audiences). Moreover, modifiers and unique language applied to each descriptor are intended to give an even more complete picture about what parents can expect their children to see when they go to a particular movie.</p> <p>Furthermore, to ensure our rating system reflects the current sentiment of parents, CARA’s system is constantly evolving. As American parents’ sensitivities change, so too does the rating system. Elements such as violence, language, drug use, and sexuality are continually re-evaluated through surveys and focus groups to mirror contemporary concern and to better assist parents in making the right family viewing choices.</p> <p>The introduction of the PG-13 rating in 1984 expanded the scope of the rating system. Not intended to be tied to any specific age, the rating is a stronger note of caution suggesting to parents to further investigate the content of the motion picture before allowing their children to see it.</p> <p>Through these changes, our mission remains the same: to inform parents about the content of the many great movies released every year. In doing so, we hope to provide parents with a useful social service, while allowing filmmakers to connect meaningfully with appropriate audiences.</p> </div> </div> <div class="bgRatingsAwareness"> <div class="container"> <a href="/Content/Downloads/Ratings_Awareness_072016.pdf" target="_blank"> <img src="/Images/Ratings_Awareness_072016.png" class="img-responsive" /> </a> </div> </div> <section id="link-boxes"> <div class="container"> <div class="row row-centered"> <a href="/Content/Downloads/cara_rating_bulletin.pdf" target="_blank"><img src="/Images/box-weekly-ratings-bulletin.png" /></a> <a href="/Contact"><img src="/Images/box-contact-us.png" /></a> <a href="..//RedCarpetSignIn/SignIn" target="_blank"><img src="/Images/box-red-carpet-ratings.png" /></a> </div> </div> </section><footer> <div class="container"> <div class="col-md-9"> <a href="https://www.motionpictures.org/"><img src="/Images/mpaa-logo.png" style="height:30px; margin: 8px 8px 10px 0;" />VISIT MOTIONPICTURES.ORG</a> <br/> <ul class="footer-left"> <li><a href="/Contact/">Contact Us</a></li> <li>|</li> <li><a href="/About/Terms">Terms of Use</a></li> <li>|</li> <li><a href="/About/Privacy">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li>|</li> <li>™ & © 1986  2025 MPA. 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