MPAA: Not All PG-13 Films Are Alike

Motion Picture Association of America ratings-board head Joan Graves defends advertising PG-13 films to kids.

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/10/2008 3:21:00 PM

There should be no line drawn that says you can't advertise a PG-13 movie to kids. That's according to the head of the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings board, Joan Graves.

Graves, talking after a luncheon speech by MPAA president Dan Glickman at the Media Institute in Washington, D.C., said, "PG-13 does not necessarily mean you can't take a younger child to it.”

She pointed out that the ratings contain content descriptors that help parents to decide which of those movies might be suitable for their kids -- say a film with course language might be OK with some parents, but not one with sexuality. "Many 13s are appropriate for younger children," she added.

That was in response to a question about the status of decisions on a raft of TV ads for PG-13 films -- The Incredible Hulk, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Iron Man -- that have been referred to the MPAA by the Better Business Bureau for a decision on whether they were appropriate for shows targeting kids under 12.

The BBB's Children’s Advertising Review Unit referred the films per an agreement with the MPAA. That agreement came after the two parties could not agree on whether PG-13 ads should air in kids’ shows. CARU thinks not.

Graves said PG-13 films are different and kids’ TV shows are different, and the MPAA's goal is to provide parents with as much information as possible. She added that the MPAA reviews all ads for appropriateness and takes demographics into account.

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