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Movie Watching
Tips for Parents to Safeguard Their Kids
 A
popular summer activity for kids of all ages is a trip to
the movie theatre or movie rental store. With such a variety
of choices, how does a parent determine which shows are safe
for their children? There are a few simple steps a parent
can take to monitor what their child watches.
Understanding the movie rating system:
The movie rating system, as most people are aware, contains
six different ratings: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, and X. We've
all seen these codes beside movie listings, but what do they
really mean and which ones are acceptable for your child?
- G - General Audiences:
Great fun for the whole family, and while teenagers may
think that the newest Disney cartoon is a drag, kids (and
most parents) are sure to get a blast from it.
- PG - Parental Guidance: PG
movies can contain light swearing, suggestive comments,
light or animated violence, and can also deal with the issue
of drugs and alcohol. PG movies may contain material that
is unsuitable for small children, but can be handled maturely
by most elementary school children and up.
- PG13 - Parental Guidance under
age 13:
This is the most common rating. Some of the movie's contents
as unsuitable for children under thirteen. PG-13 movies
can contain mild nudity, moderate profanity, moderate sexual
situations, references to drugs and alcohol, and moderate
to extreme violence. A good way for parents to decide which
PG-13 movies to let their children see is to preview the
movie, either by asking other parents, or previewing it
themselves.
- R (Restricted), NC-17 (no
entry under age 17) and X are for mature audiences
only.
Movie theaters and movie rental store websites
often have synapses of movies they carry, containing information
on the extent of nudity, profanity, violence, and sexual situations
in each movie. Also, by placing a call to the local movie
theater or rental store, one can easily obtain this information,
and quite often ask an employee's opinion on how suitable
the movie is for children.
Info from PageWise
 PSV
Ratings:
PSVratings provides parents (and all
consumers) with important supplemental information to the
existing ratings systems by supplying them with in-depth information
to make informed media choices based upon their own personal
standards of suitability. Parents therefore regain the control
they need to ensure that their children are exposed only to
media they deem appropriate.
The PSVratings Standard is based upon
scientific research relating to the effects of media on children.
The Standard utilizes more than 10 million rule combinations
to analyze Profanity, Sex and Violence in videos and DVDs.
PSVratings simply provides an objective description of the
levels of profanity, sex, and violence found in the many forms
of entertainment. Just as standardized food labels help guide
parental decisions about what goes into a child's developing
body, the PSVratings system provides a uniform standard to
help parents decide what goes into a child's impressionable,
developing mind.
To check
on PSV ratings for a particular movie, visit www.psvratings.com
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