Sky Q to get 'Common Sense' movie ratings

Age restrictions are pretty subjective.  A ’12’ rated movie could completely upset one 13-year-old child, while not phasing another 10-year-old.  Likewise, adults will be comfortable with varying degrees of violence.

Powered by Common Sense Media; Sky has now introduced a feature that breaks down age ratings into these categories rated between 0-5.

• Violence & Scariness
• Positive Messages
• Consumerism
• ‘Sexy Stuff’
• Positive Role Models & Representation
• Language
• Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
• Educational Value

The categories don’t just judge how bad of an influence the movie is, but also whether it’s likely to leave a positive impact.  Jill Murphy from Common Sense Media emphasised this:

Our goal is to give Sky customers trusted information, so they can decide what movies work for them. Our ratings are based on child development and what they are ready for, no matter what the age classification says. Beyond violence and bad language, we also look at how characters talk to each other, if they’re respectful towards each other and their parents. What one five-year-old may enjoy, another may find upsetting, so we want to take some of the guesswork out of this process.

While the feature is centred around children, it’s also nice to know what you’re getting yourself into without having to read the movie description on IMDB.

This feature will join other child safety tools, including Sky Broadband Buddy, which lets parents manage each screen in their home; and Kids Safe Mode, which creates an “age-appropriate, protected TV viewing environment.”

The Parents’ Guide should reach your device by the end of next month.  When it does, you can access it from the Sky Cinema, Sky Store and partner film channels via the Sky Q sidebar menu.

Via Neowin