The MPAA

• In the early 20th century, American movies were regulated by more than 40 state and local censorship boards. Studios adjusted their movies to fit the requirements of each local board rather than risk being kept out of those markets. In 1922, American movie studios and distributors created the Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, as a way of avoiding further censorship. Between 1922 and 1968, the MPAA enforced a strict set of guidelines called the Hays Code after their first president Will Hays. The Hays Code prevented filmmakers from depicting activities considered immoral such as criticizing religion, "lustful" kissing, "suggestive" dancing and childbirth. Only films deemed "moral" by Hays Code standards were approved for distribution.
  
  

CARA

• In the 1960s, MPAA chairman Jack Valenti began dismantling the Hays Code, criticizing it as a form of censorship that limited filmmakers' artistic freedom. In 1968, Valenti, the National Association of Theater Owners and other film professionals created the Classification and Rating Administration, a new independent body and ratings system that would give parents advanced warning about the content of movies rather than labeling them as moral or immoral.
  
  

PG-13

• The PG-13 rating is a stronger warning than the PG, or parental guidance, rating. It doesn't stop children who are under 13 from seeing the movie, but it tells parents that the movie may contain material that they wouldn't want children under 13 to see. PG-13 movies have more sensuality, violence and adult language than PG movies but not as much as R-rated movies. PG-13 movies are allowed more violence than PG movies, but the depictions of violence are not as realistic or intense as R-rated movies. Some depictions of nudity are permitted in PG-13 movies but it is not sexual in nature. Depictions of drug use usually earn at least a PG-13 rating. PG-13 movies are allowed one use of a sexual slang term such as the "f-word" if it is used as an expletive. If it is used as a sexual term, the movie receives an R rating. However, if two-thirds of the members vote that that the PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context in which the word was used, the movie will still receive the PG-13 rating.
  
  

Rules and Criteria

• CARA operates independently of the MPAA and NATO. Every member must be a parent and may not have any other affiliation with the entertainment industry. According to its official website, CARA members base their decisions on the same criteria they believe the majority of American parents would use to judge a film's content. They do not judge the quality of the film or censor it in anyway. They only provide parents information about sex, violence, drug use and other adult elements present in the film.