I'm sure most of you are aware that one of the rules in our Terms of Service is that all material posted here must be kept at a "PG-13" level. So just to show, or remind, everyone of what a "PG-13" rating is, I've copied some descriptions of the ratings into this xombyte for you all to brush up on. This way you can compare the ratings one to another as well.

The following text is excerpted from MovieRatings.com. There you can find a full listing of the ratings and detailed descriptions of how a movie's rating is determined.

"MovieRatings.com" Disclaimer: "Obviously the line is difficult to draw. In our pluralistic society it is not easy to make judgments without incurring some disagreement. So long as parents know they must exercise parental responsibility, these ratings serve as a meaningful guide and as a warning."

"PG": "Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children"

This is a film which clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but the parent must make the decision. Parents are warned against sending their children, unseen and without inquiry, to PG-rated movies.

The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some 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 film.

The PG rating, suggesting parental guidance, is thus an alert for examination of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children.

"PG-13": "Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13"

PG-13 is thus a sterner warning to parents to determine for themselves the attendance, in particular, of their younger children as they might consider some material not suited for them. Parents, by the rating, are alerted to be very careful about the attendance of their under-teenage children.

A PG-13 film is one which, in the view of the Rating Board, leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents, but does not quite fit within the "R" (restricted) category. Any drug use content will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. In effect, the PG-13 cautions parents with more stringency than usual to give special attention to this film before they allow their 12-year olds and younger to attend.

If nudity is sexually oriented, the film will generally not be found in the PG-13 category. If violence is too rough or persistent, the film goes into the "R" (restricted) rating. A film's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, shall initially require the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. But more than one such expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an "R" rating, as must even one of these words used in a sexual context. These films can be rated less severely, however, if by a special vote, the Rating Board feels that a lesser rating would more responsibly reflect the opinion of American parents.

PG-13 places larger responsibilities on parents for their children's moviegoing. The voluntary rating system is not a surrogate parent, nor should it be. It cannot, and should not, insert itself in family decisions that only parents can, and should, make. Its purpose is to give prescreening advance informational warnings, so that parents can form their own judgments. PG-13 is designed to make these parental decisions easier for films between "PG" and "R".

"R": "Restricted, Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent Or Adult Guardian"

In the opinion of the Rating Board, this film definitely contains some adult material. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about this film before they allow their children to accompany them.

An R-rated film may include hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of the above. So parents are counseled, in advance, to take this advisory rating very seriously. Parents must find out more about an R-rated movie before they allow their teenagers to view it.

"NC-17": "No One 17 Or Under Admitted"

This rating declares that the Rating Board believes that this is a film that most parents will consider patently too adult for their youngsters under 17. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not necessarily mean "obscene or pornographic" in the oft-accepted or legal meaning of those words. The Board does not and cannot mark films with those words. These are legal terms and for courts to decide. The reasons for the application of an NC-17 rating can be violence or sex or aberrational behavior or drug abuse or any other elements which, when present, most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.

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Of course there is also a "G" rating, for General Audiences. A "G-rated" film is deemed safe for everyone to view.

You can see that "PG-13" does give you a bit of lee-way, but the use of even one too many expletives might make the difference.

I hope this helps you to determine whether or not your Xombyte should be 'censored' a bit before posting it here, because we don't ever like having to censor your work for you. Additionally, I hope that it helps you to understand how precarious our position is when trying to make this determination.

For another look at our Terms of Service, and our rules governing content, please visit: Allowable Content.

Happy Writing All!!

Dragonfly
Xomba Moderator