First, who invented the current system? His name is Jack Valenti. At the age of 73 now, he’s still head of the Motion Picture Association of America. He was voted into that position in 1966. In 1986 Valenti sketched out our national ratings system. MPAA has a ratings board which is made up of eleven members. Each member is chosen by Valenti, to serve two five year terms. All their personal information is kept secret. Things such as: occupations, age, and other information is all kept confidential. Also all the board members hold other jobs as well as being on the MPAA board.

The purpose of giving a film a rating is to inform the public about the content of a particular movie, and to protect those who are vulnerable to the inappropriate material contained in some films. A rating is decided upon by the board members using the guidelines of each rating, after viewing and passing a two thirds vote. A rating can be changed, and it is not final. To chang

Now, we’ll look at the actual line between the PG-13 and R rating. There are a few very clear and specific differences that separate the two ratings. For example, saying the “F” word once in a movie would give that movie a PG-13 rating, but any more than once it would receive an R. Along with that full frontal nudity, graphic violence, blood and gore, and more, all will give a movie an R rating.

A film that has an R rating has a lower attendance number than films that are rated PG-13 or below. 50% of viewers 12-17 years old go to at least one movie a month, only 28% of movie goers 18 and older see at least one movie a month. So unless the movie is intended to have an R rating, directors and producers try to keep their film within the lines of a PG-13 rating. The reason they do so is to achieve a higher attendance number. Since young people limited to PG-13 rated movies or lower go and see movies more than people who are allowed to view R rated films, those movies that do not have an R rating have a high attendance. If the movie that is up for decision is intended to have an R rating the directors will just suffer the consequences of not having a large audience.

Psychiatrists have said that small children viewing R rated movies can cause real damage. The risks faced by children who watch films meant for adults are similar to the risks faced by children exposed to alcohol, tobacco, or physical abuse. Studies have shown that when kids see violence they begin to feel it’s normal to be violet: when they see graphic scenes of adult sexuality, they begin to believe that those are the ways in which they should behave. Parents really need to watch out and be mindful about what their kids are viewing in the movies. Some may not realize how potentially damaging seeing a highly rated movie may be to their child or young adult.

Even though parents can’t always be there to make sure that their kids are safe from the content of the movies, I think the theaters should be. I mean just by checking the ticket stuff every time someone comes in or out of the seating area would greatly reduce the number of kids sneaking into movies. As it stands today, a child or teenager can easily slip into an R rated movie. The only

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