Kid Movie Ratings

How children's movie ratings work and the best site for finding them

Censorship and entertainment ratings systems have been in the news a great deal over the past few years, from Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction to a hidden scene in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But what is often obscured by such stories is that many resources are available for parents who wish to monitor their children's media consumption. Kid movie ratings are one such resource.

Movie ratings

The film rating system used today was first implemented by the Motion Picture Association of America in 1968. The MPAA system has been enhanced since then, and now includes 5 ratings codes:

G for general audiences: all ages admitted

PG for parental guidance suggested: some material may not be suitable for children

PG-13 for parents strongly cautioned: some material may be inappropriate for children under 13

R for restricted: under 17 requires accompanying parent or legal guardian

NC-17 for no children: no one 17 and under admitted

While most parents are aware that only movies rated G, PG, and PG-13 are likely suitable for their children, there remains some confusion about exactly what each rating means. For that reason, the ratings boxes on movie posters and DVD sleeves now often include small type specifying exactly why the rating was given: brief language, some violence, etc.

However, not all parents take the time to read the small print. Fortunately for them there are many websites that provide detailed children's movie ratings. The following are some of the best sites for finding detailed kid movie ratings.

Kids In mind

At first glance, the kid movie ratings at www.kids-in-mind.commight appear to be release dates: Poseidon 3.7.5, Firewall 2.7.5, or The Wild 2.3.1.

But what Kids In Mind has done is broken the ratings process down into the 3 categories of sex/nudity, violence/gore, and profanity and given each a numeric range of 0 to 10. Thus Inside Man at 4.6.10 is going to have a whole lot of swearing, while Silent Hill at 5.10.5 is going to be extremely violent.

Kid movie ratings at Kids In Mind tend to feature lower numbers, such as Hoot 1.4.4. Parents seeking further detail can also access a complete content analysis that lists in minute detail all instances of sex, violence, or profanity.

Kids In Mind is definitely an exhaustive children's movie ratings site. It's also easy to navigate and the ratings are simple to understand.

Common sense media

The layout of www.commonsensemedia.orgis a little more cluttered than Kids In Mind and its kid movie ratings aren’t as easy to browse.

Those issues aside, Common Sense Media does have some features that Kids In Mind doesn't, such as a rating for commercialism that lists instances of product placements. The site also features tabs for users to contribute adult reviews and kid reviews, so the kid movie ratings feature a greater range of opinion.

Other kid movie rating sites

Both of the above sites are subscription based but can be accessed by visitors. www.screenit.comis well regarded, but requires you to pay a $24.95 one-year fee to access the site. For a basic, free, no frills kid movie ratings site, check out www.familystyle.com.

More information on kids movies