There are so many tools available for parents to research the apps and games that kids want to watch and the movies and shows they want to view. However, many parents ignore these ratings completely or just don’t understand how they can use them to make decisions for their family.

Most countries have their own rating system for different types of entertainment. Each country has different a different culture, and what might be appropriate for a child in one country may be deemed unacceptable for viewing in another country. Ratings have also changed over the years, which is why movies like Airplane and Sixteen Candles can be rated PG (Parental Guidance) in the United States, even though they would likely be rated at least PG-13 if not R if they were rated now. Given these examples, ratings should never be trusted implicitly and should be a jumping off point for further research.

Although ratings vary drastically, they can quickly give you a good idea on whether or not the content in the game, app, movie or show will be appropriate for your child. In some cases, it may even help you find games that your child might enjoy. For example, the EC (Early Childhood) rating within the ESRB in the United States indicate a game that toddlers should have the skill set to navigate.

Game Ratings

Apps and Games fall under the International Age Rating Coalition. As a partner of the IARC the ESRB covers most of the apps and games within the United States. The rating is typically right on the packaging of the game or is listed prominently in the Google Play store. Apple also has its own age rating system for the apps and games within the App Store.

These ratings should help you see right away if the game has been approved for the age of your child. Nothing drives me crazier than when parents purchase a game for their child that is clearly inappropriate for their age, simply because they didn’t look or pay attention to the rating. You can check the video game rating system for your country here. Many social media apps or games that have social aspects will be rated for teens over the age of 13 or 14 since most social media restricts account creation for users that are below that age.

For downloaded apps and games, you should be able to restrict access to certain ratings through the App or Google Play Store for your children’s accounts.

Movie Ratings

While movie ratings definitely vary from country to country, there are many ways to tell whether or not a movie is appropriate for your child. One easy way to supplement the rating is to open the parent’s review within the IMDB app for the particular movie. It will usually tell you exactly how many swear words are in the movie, what kinds of scenes of violence, nudity, and sexual content are within the film, and more.

Many movie theaters will restrict access to purchase tickets for movies rated above a certain age. You can also set your streaming movie applications to limit access to specific ratings.

TV Ratings

TV ratings are probably the most recent of the three rating systems. While network TV channels, like those you can receive over the air with an antenna, are typically limited in the content they can air, cable, streaming, and premium paid channels don’t have these kinds of restrictions. If you open access to these channels, even for a show that is not rated for adults 18 and over, the channel won’t automatically switch off when the mature-rated show appears. However, you can limit streaming channels like Netflix for different users through the main user account. Check your country’s television rating system here.

Although the actual ratings are different for each country, you can generally see what age is recommended for the particular rating. Keep in mind, however, that even if your child is old enough to view or play the content, check out more details on why it is rated that way, and decide if you think it is actually appropriate for your child.