The National American Rating Board is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's,television show's,home video's, video game's,and book's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system is a legally binding system.
In effect as of November 1968,following the Hays Code of the classical Hollywood cinema era, the NARB rating system is one of various motion picture rating systems that are used to help parents decide what films are appropriate for their children. It is administered by the Classification & Ratings Administration (CARA), an independent division of the NARB.
Ratings[]
- YC(Young Children)-The content is targeted to young children from 0 to 7. This rating is only used for television.
- G(General Audiences)-The content is suitable for general audiences.
- G7(General Audiences 7 Or Older)-The content is suitable for general audiences ages 7 and over.
- PG(Parental Guidance)-The content is suitable for ages 9 and up. Parental guidance is suggested for viewers under 9.
- PG13(Parental Guidance 13)-The content is suitable for ages 13 and up. Parental guidance is suggested for viewers under 13.
- PG15(Parental Guidance 15)-The content is suitable for ages 15 and up. Parental guidance is suggested for viewers under 15.
- M(Mature)-The content is suitable for ages 16 and up. Parental guidance is required for viewers under 16.
- R(Restricted)-The content is suitable for ages 18 and up. Parental guidance is required for viewers under 18.
- X-The content is prohibited to people under the age of 21. Not many TV channels or movie theaters air content with this rating.
- E(Exempt)-The content is exempt from any age rating. Used only for sports events and news broadcasts.
Content descriptors[]
Film ratings often have accompanying brief descriptions of the specifics behind the work's content and why it received a certain rating. They are displayed in trailers, posters, and on the backside of home video releases. Film rating content descriptors are exclusively used for content rated from G7 to X; they are not used for YC and G-rated content because the content in them is suitable for all audiences even if containing mild objectionable content.
Watershed[]
Since 1978, and passed into law officially in 1982, a watershed is in place for television broadcasts in the United States. Although there have been legal issues, all courts have upheld the watershed. The watershed is as follows:
- YC-PG13 rated content can be broadcasted at anytime.
- PG15 rated content can be broadcasted only from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- M rated content can only air from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- R rated content can only air from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- X rated content can only air from 1 a.m. to 7 a.m.