Motion picture content rating system A motion picture content rating system is an organization designated to classify films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse; their use of profanity; or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for children or adolescents. Most countries have some form of rating system that issues determinations variously known as certifications, classifications, certificates, or ratings. Age recommendations, of either an advisory or restrictive capacity, are often applied in lieu of censorship; in some jurisdictions movie theaters may have a legal obligation to enforce restrictive ratings. In countries such as Australia and Singapore, an official government body decides on ratings; in other countries such as the United States, it is done by industry committees with little if any official government status. In most countries, however, films that are considered morally offensive have been censored, restricted, or banned. Even if the film rating system has no legal consequences, and a film has not explicitly been restricted or banned, there are usually laws forbidding certain films, or forbidding minors to view them. The influence of specific factors in deciding a rating varies from country to country. In countries such as the United States, films with strong sexual content tend to be restricted to older viewers, though those same films are very often considered suitable for all ages in countries such as France and Germany. In contrast, films with violent content which would be rated leniently in the United States and Australia are often subject to high ratings and sometimes even censorship in countries such as Germany and Finland. Other factors may or may not influence the classification process, such as being set within a non-fictional historical context, whether the film glorifies violence or drug use, whether said violence or drug use is carried out by the protagonist, with whom the viewer should empathize, or by the antagonist. In Germany, for example, films depicting explicit war violence in a real war context (such as the Second World War) are handled more leniently than films with purely fictional settings. A film may be produced with a particular rating in mind. It may be re-edited if the desired rating is not obtained, especially to avoid a higher rating than intended. A film may also be re-edited to produce a different version for other countries. Contents Comparison table · Argentina · Australia · Austria · Belgium · Brazil · Bulgaria · Canada · Chile · China · Colombia · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hong Kong · Hungary · Iceland · India · Indonesia · Ireland · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Kazakhstan · Latvia · Malaysia · Maldives · Malta · Mexico · Netherlands · New Zealand · Nigeria · Norway · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · South Africa · South Korea · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Taiwan · Thailand · Turkey · United Arab Emirates · United Kingdom · United States · Venezuela · Vietnam · See also · References · External links Comparison table A comparison of current film rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. Thus a color code or age range cannot be directly compared from one country to another. Key: White – No restrictions: Suitable for all ages / Aimed at young audiences / Exempt / Not rated / No applicable rating. Yellow – No restrictions: Parental guidance is suggested for designated age range. Purple – No restrictions: Not recommended for a younger audience but not restricted. Red – Restricted: Parental accompaniment required for younger audiences. Black – Prohibitive: Exclusively for older audience / Restricted to licensed premises / Purchase age-restricted / Banned. Country 0/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 +18 Argentina ATP +13 +16 C G MA15+ R18+ Australia PG M X18+ Austria Unrestricted 6 8 10 12 14 16 Belgium AL/TOUS 6 9 12 14 16 18 Brazil L 10 12 14 16 18 B Bulgaria C D X A R G 14A Canada A (outside Québec) PG PG (Not recommended for young children) 18A 18A 18 (Quebec) G G (Not suitable for young children) 13 16 18 (Explicit sexuality) 18 Chile TE 7 14 Excessive violence Pornography China Suitable for all ages 18 Colombia T 7 12 15 X Country 0/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 7 Denmark A 11 / 15 11 15 L MS-12 Estonia MS-6 K-14 K-16 PERE K-12 Finland S 7 7 12 12 16 16 18 France TP -12 -16 -18 6 18 Germany 0 16 12 12 Unrated Greece Unrestricted 13 17 18 I Hong Kong III IIA/IIB 18 Hungary KN 6 12 16 X 16 16 Iceland L 6 9 12 18 18 India U UA A Indonesia SU 13+ 17+ 21+ 12A 15A Ireland N/A G PG 16 18 12 15 Italy T VM14 VM18 G PG- Jamaica T-16 T-16 A-18 PG 13 Japan G PG12 R15+ R18+ Country 0/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Kazakhstan К БА/Б14/Е16 Б14 Е16 Е18 HA Latvia U 7+ 12+ 16+ 18+ Malaysia U P13 18 G 18+ Maldives 12+ 15+ PG 18+R U 12A Malta 15 18 PG 12 A C Mexico B B-15 AA N/A D Netherlands AL 6 9 12 14 16 18 G R13 R15 R16 R18 New Zealand RP16 PG RP13 RP18 M G 12 Nigeria 15 18 PG 12A 6 12 12 Norway A 18 9 9 15 15 R-13 Philippines G R-16 R-18 PG M/ M/6 M/12 M/14 M/16 M/18 3/6/12/14/16/18 Portugal A M/18 M/3 M/6 M/12 M/14 M/16 M/18-P AG IM-18 Romania N-15 AP-12 N/A IM-18-XXX Russia 0+ 6+ 12+ 16+ 18+ Country 0/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 G R12 Saudi Arabia R15 R18 PG PG12 G Singapore PG13 NC16 M18 R21 PG A 18 South Africa 7–9PG 7–9PG 10–12PG 10–12PG 13 16 PG X18 Restricted South Korea ALL 12 15 R screening 18 Spain APTA 7 12 16 Película X Btl 7 15 15 Sweden 11 11 16 16 Unrated Switzerland 0 6 6 12 12 N/A 18 18 6+ 6+ Taiwan 0+ 15+ 18+ N/A 12+ G Thailand 13 15 18 20 P 7+ 13+ 15+ Genel İzleyici Kitlesi Turkey 18+ (English: General Audience) 7A 13A 15A G PG15 United Arab Emirates PG13 18+ PG 15+ 12A 18 United Kingdom Uc U PG 15 12 R18 G United States PG-13 R NC-17 PG Venezuela A B C D (San Cristóbal municipality) AA (Baruta municipality) A B C D (Maracaibo municipality) N/A A B C Vietnam P C13 C16 C18 Country 0/1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Argentina Through its Advisory Commission of Cinematographic Exhibition (Comisión Asesora de Exhibición Cinematográfica) the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA) issues ratings for films based on the following categories:[1] ATP: Suitable for all ages, ATP stands for "Apta (para) Todo Público", meaning "for all public" +13: Suitable for 13-year-olds and over. Children under the age of 13 are admitted Categories of the Argentinian classification system if accompanied by an adult. +16: Suitable for 16-year-olds and over. +18: Suitable for 18-year-olds and over. C: Suitable for 18-year-olds and over. Restricted to specially licensed venues. Australia The Classification Board and Classification Review Board are government-funded organisations which classify all films that are released for public exhibition.[2][3] Advisory categories General (G) – General. The content is very mild in impact. The G classification is suitable for everyone. Parental Guidance (PG) – Parental guidance recommended. The content is mild in impact. It is not recommended for viewing or playing by persons under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians. Mature (M) – Recommended for mature audiences. The content is moderate in impact. Children under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category. However, M classified films and computer games may include classifiable elements such as violence and nudity of moderate impact that are not recommended for children under 15 years. Restricted categories Mature Accompanied (MA15+) – Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. The content is strong in impact. Restricted (R18+) – Restricted to 18 years and over. The content is high in impact. Despite this category being legally restricted, in Queensland the restriction is not applicable to persons under 2.[4] The Australian classifications Adult film categories Restricted (X18+) – Restricted to 18 years and over. This classification is a special and legally restricted category which contains only sexually explicit content. That is, material which shows actual sexual intercourse and other sexual activity between consenting adults. X18+ films are only available for sale or hire in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. RC – Refused Classification. Banned from sale or hire in the country and cannot be legally imported. Films are rated RC if their content is very high in impact and exceeds the guidelines. Films intended to inform, educate or instruct or concerned with sport, religion or music are exempt from classification provided they do not contain material that would result in an "M" rating or higher if submitted for classification.[5] Austria Motion pictures are rated by the Austrian Board of Media Classification (ABMC) for the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kunst und Kultur).