Parent's Guide

What G, PG, and PG-13 Actually Mean

The letters on a movie poster are less informative than most parents assume, and more informative than they're often given credit for — if you know how to read them. Here's what the rating systems are actually measuring, where they fall short, and how to use them as one data point among several.

A brief history of why ratings exist

The MPAA's rating system was introduced in 1968, replacing an older production code that had tried to regulate what movies could contain at the script stage. The shift was partly a response to the wave of adult-oriented films arriving from Europe and partly an acknowledgment that policing content before production wasn't working. The new idea: let filmmakers make what they want, but label it honestly so audiences — especially parents — can decide for themselves.

The system has been revised several times since. The PG-13 rating didn't exist until 1984. It was created largely in response to two Steven Spielberg productions released the previous summer — Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins — both rated PG, both containing sequences many parents found unexpectedly intense. Spielberg himself reportedly suggested the new rating to MPAA head Jack Valenti. The NC-17 replaced the X rating in 1990. The system you see today is the result of sixty years of negotiation between filmmakers, studios, distributors, and parents.

Understanding that history helps you read the ratings more accurately. These are negotiated categories, not objective scientific measures. The same content can receive different ratings depending on context, framing, and who happens to be on the ratings board that week.

The MPAA film ratings

The content descriptors — the part most parents skip

Next to or below the rating letter, most releases include brief content descriptors: phrases like "for mild thematic elements and brief action" or "for sequences of sci-fi action violence and some language." These are more useful than the letter rating for most parenting decisions.

The descriptors use semi-standardized language:

• Language — profanity. The descriptor often signals severity ("mild language" vs. "pervasive strong language").
• Violence / Action Violence — "action violence" is the more stylized, consequence-light variety common in adventure films; "violence" or "strong violence" signals something more graphic or realistic.
• Thematic elements / Thematic content — a catch-all for mature themes (death, illness, substance use, difficult relationships) handled without explicit content. Often underestimated by parents.
• Brief nudity / Sensuality / Sexual content — escalating scale of sexual material.
• Frightening images — directly relevant for young children. If this appears, take it seriously.

A PG film rated "for mild thematic elements" is a completely different proposition than one rated "for some scary sequences and action peril." Both are PG. Only the descriptor tells you which you're dealing with.

TV ratings: a separate system

Television and streaming content uses a different rating system, introduced in 1997 and applied across broadcast and cable. These are what you'll see on Disney+, Netflix, and similar services when content isn't classified under the MPAA system (original series, for instance).

The most common parent misreading

"It's animated, so it must be fine." Animation is a medium, not a rating. Animated films can be G, PG, PG-13, R, or unrated. Several of the most emotionally intense sequences in cinema history are animated — not despite the animation, but partly because of it. The visual distance of animation can allow filmmakers to depict things — death, violence, existential dread — that would be too visceral in live action. The animation doesn't make it gentler. It makes it more safely surreal while retaining full emotional impact.

Similarly: "It's Disney, so it must be fine." The Disney label has covered a wide range of content across its history. Many of the studio's classic films deal directly with parental death, profound loss, and genuine menace in ways that are not always age-appropriate for the youngest viewers, regardless of their G rating at the time of release.

How to use ratings as a parent

Treat the rating as an upper bound, not a recommendation. A G rating tells you the film contains nothing the MPAA found objectionable — useful, but not the whole picture. The content descriptor is the more actionable piece of information. Your knowledge of your specific child's sensitivities is more useful than either.

For a highly sensitive child, you may regularly choose to watch G and TV-Y content with older ratings than you'd expect, because you know your child's specific triggers. For a child who has been watching nature documentaries since age two and has no fear response to intense visuals, PG content at a young age might be completely fine.

When in doubt: pre-screen. Watch the first fifteen minutes alone before showing a child. Check the IMDb Parent Guide, which provides a granular breakdown of content by category. And keep the pause button handy.