In years past, the rating system of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had clear-cut movie viewing guidelines for parents. These ratings were G for general, PG for parental guidance and R for restricted. On July 1, 1984, the PG-13 category was introduced. This rating was for those films that were beyond the PG rating in theme, but did not quite fit into the restricted category. The PG-13 rating means that parents are strongly cautioned and some material may be inappropriate for children younger than age 13. The MPAA created the rating system November 1, 1968 solely as a tool for parents. For the year 2000, is the rating system still reliable for parents?

The MPAA itself was formed in 1922, but was revamped 1966 by incoming and current president Jack Valenti. His efforts to overhaul the Association were in response to the changing values and morals of the country and the "new" kind of American movie that was surfacing. This new kind of movie was described as frank and open -- created by filmmakers who held to very few self-imposed restraints. Profanity, nudity and violence started showing up at the box office and the MPAA felt it needed to uphold its duty to parents and keep them informed about motion pictures.

Today, this is still the mission of the Association. But it isn't a lighthouse for all parents. "I personally do not go by the rating system," says Corinne Scotti, mother of 13-year-old twin boys. "It's been my experience that some PG-13 movies I've allowed my boys to see have been worse than R movies I've seen. I'm most concerned with the sexual content of movies. I don't want my boys to think it's OK to go out and have sex, and unfortunately, PG-13 movies have the latitude to be very sexual in nature without actually showing the act."

Since the inception of the ratings in 1968, they have been federally registered certification marks of the MPAA and cannot be self-applied. No filmmaker is forced to submit a movie to the MPAA for rating; it isn't required by law. Motion pictures are allowed to hit the marketplace without a rating, but most producers and film distributors want the approval of the MPAA. The rating of each motion picture submitted is determined by a full-time rating board of eight to 13 members located in Los Angeles, Calif. All are parents, and they use a standard set of criteria to decide ratings.

G:

• general audiences, all ages admitted
• no profanity, sex, nudity, drug use
• violence is minimal
• contains no actions or themes that would be inappropriate for young children

• parental guidance suggested, some material may not be suitable for children
• this film needs to be examined by parents before allowing their children to see it
• may be some profanity, brief nudity or violence
• no drug use

• parents strongly cautioned, some material may be inappropriate for children under 13
• parents are alerted to be very careful about allowing preteenage children to view this film
• may contain nudity, profanity and sexually-derived words
• may contain violence
• may contain drug use

• restricted, children under 17 require a parent or adult guardian
• parents are strongly urged to find out more about this film before their child accompanies them
• contains adult material and themes
• may include profanity and intense violence
• may include nudity within sexual scenes
• may contain drug use

• no one 17 and under admitted
• no children, even with parents, are admitted
• this is beyond the R rating and adult themes are too strong for a child of any age
• contains extreme violence, sex, drug abuse or any combination of the three

The MPAA cautions that it cannot make a movie viewing decision for parents, but only offer guidelines for parents to make their own responsible decisions. "I recently took my 12-year-old to see a PG-13 movie and was shocked that the F-word was in it," says JoAnne Pomierski, mother of two. "I assumed because the film was not rated R that harsh profanity would not be allowed. Parents need to be aware that sometimes the PG-13 rated movie is an R movie in disguise."

Parents who desire to go beyond the rating and delve into content before making a decision have a number of options open to them.

The Dove Foundation in Grand Rapids, Mich. is a non-profit organization devoted to wholesome family entertainment. It offers a monthly newsletter called "The Hollywood Update" which contains reviews of newly released movies. The reviews concentrate on content and theme, and profanity, nudity and violence are each evaluated separately for each movie.

Nicole Yugovich, corporate services director for The Dove Foundation, encourages parents to view any movie first before allowing their children to see it. "It's our intent to arm parents with information about the content of the movie, not just the rating," Yugovich says. "The ratings are helpful, but not always reliable for parents who want to limit their child's exposure to profanity, sex and violence."

Another resource for parents is the Movieguide, which offers an online subscription or a bimonthly magazine through the mail. The Movieguide concentrates on evaluating a movie's quality and moral acceptability, and also gives specific details about the amount and frequency of profanity, sex, drug use and violence in a motion picture. Also, The Movieguide evaluates each and every film that is released, whether mainstream or independent. Jennifer Cole, managing editor at The Movieguide, says "As a whole, PG-13 movies brought the most amount of money to the box office in 1999. Of course the target audience for PG-13 movies is teenagers. It's important to be aware and knowledgeable about the movies teens want to see. If parents decide against a certain movie, I urge them to discuss the decision with their teenager."