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"Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)."
Former standard content warning on xkcd comic pages

WARNING: The following page may ruin your life. Reader discretion is advised.

Sometimes, producers or distributors feel the need to warn the viewers of what they are about to see. This serves to help viewers who might not like what they're about to see stop looking at it before things get unpleasant; for others, it's an invitation to watch.

Content warnings have been common in media for decades: public television's "viewer discretion is advised," radio and television journalism's "some of what you're about to hear/see is graphic," and various music, TV and film labeling.

Content warnings are often given in conjunction with a ratings system as an explanation of why a given work has the rating it does. In most cases, these are selected from a list of stock warnings (e.g. "strong language", "violence", "imitable behavior", or the very general "viewer discretion advised") — these don't really provide much of an explanation. A warning specific to the work shows that the work itself is fairly controversial or otherwise unusual.

Like most other content rating systems, this only serves as an aid to the viewer's decision of whether or not to keep watching; what viewers actually decide is up to them. This hasn't stopped Moral Guardians from insisting on content warnings as a sort of deterrent from imitating harmful things, not realizing that most viewers tend to ignore such warnings or even consider them an indicator of the really good stuff. Works which try to capitalize on the latter phenomenon are often Rated M for Money.

See also Media Classifications and Trigger, as well as Our Lawyers Advised This Trope, Don't Try This at Home, Do Not Attempt, This Is a Work of Fiction, and NSFW. Compare R-Rated Opening.


Example subpages:

Other examples:

    open/close all folders 
    Advertising 
  • Quite a few TAG Body Spray commercials love using this trope, usually starting with a "Warning" and would sometimes use double entendres.

    Anime and Manga 
  • Many manga published in the West in its original (unmirrored) format make sure to reserve the back page (what would be the front page for a traditional Western book) for a notice saying something like, "Start from the other end of the book/magazine." as a friendly notice to anyone unfamiliar with the format that Japanese literature is read right-to-left.
  • Viz Media seems to make a habit of putting unusual content warnings on its English-language M-rated manga.
    • The English version of the Black Lagoon manga has the following:
      Black Lagoon is rated M for Mature and is recommended for mature readers. This volume contains graphic violence, strong language, nudity, adult situations, drinkin', smokin', ass-kickin', law breakin', gun-love, running with scissors and just about everything your mother ever told you not to do.
    • Biomega contains "motorcycle violence, mind-blowing cinematic stunts, and extreme grizzly bear."
    • After an extended period of using plain, straight-to-the-point warnings on their M-rated titles, Viz brought their humorous warnings back with Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction:
      Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is rated M for Mature and is recommended for mature readers. This volume contains an alien invasion.
  • Viz's sister boys-love publisher SuBLime also makes a habit of using content warnings - depending on the steaminess of a title and its rating, the warning could range anywhere from "suggestive themes" to "frank/graphic depictions of sex."
  • Daily Lives of High School Boys, despite being a plain Slice of Life work, has two examples of this:
    • In High School Boys and Mochi Soup, there is an on-screen advisory each time a character chokes on mochi. It happens often enough to annoy whoever's doing the advising:
      "This might seem annoying, but please eat mochi slowly by carefully chewing small portions."
    • In High School Boys and UFO Catchers, this advisory appears when the main trio tries to shake a UFO Catcher machine to get a teddy bear plush which narrowly missed the hole, and again when Tadakuni's little sister succeeds in shaking it out:
  • Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Yo-Kai Watch are the only anime that have ever aired on Cartoon Network Philippines with a parental guidance warning. Gundam got it due to its violent nature (though some edits were still made), while Yo-Kai Watch got it due to innuendos being present in some of its' episodes. note 
  • Later episodes of the anime of Rainbow say "We believe the explicit scences of this animated work are rather important in bringout the atmosphere of this time period." The show's violence is rarely gruesome and never exaggerated, but it's often committed by adults against minors.
  • The second DVD of Last Exile is rated 12 by the BBFC for "a firebreathing scene".
  • The anime adaptation of Minna Atsumare! Falcom Gakuen warns at the end of most episodes for, of all things, out of character moments (in red text no less) compared to the video games they hail from.
  • Both original North American airings of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episode "Jungle Cruise" began with them:
    • YTV in Canada initially skipped over the episode because of the violent content, but thanks to complaints from viewers, they were compelled to air it with a special disclaimer stating that the violence was above what the network would allow.
    • [adult swim] also provided a custom content warning when they premiered this episode. They've used similar warnings several times since then, including another custom warning for the final episode of Fullmetal Alchemist, their "American Cowboys" disclaimer for the entire second half of Eureka Seven, and a "Super Violence" bump for all episodes of Blood+.
  • A warning before certain features on Sci-Fi's former Saturday Anime block: "This film includes graphic special effects (or some violent content). Parental discretion is advised." Mostly this was due to violence, even after editing down.
  • Many anime releases on videocassette feature warnings on the box to warn people of content in the program. If the content was particularly extreme (like any release on Central Park Media's Anime 18 label), then usually after the standard FBI warning a warning was displayed warning the viewer about the content they're about to see and to not watch the tape while minors are around. Prior to the beginning of the feature, the content warning for Central Park Media's Anime 18 line was also followed by a disclaimer stating that "All characters depicted are over the age of 18". This was in turn followed by a brief introduction to anime and the tropes that appear in anime including the sailor school uniforms, large eyes, underage looking female characters, and lack of pubic hair. In terms of legality, it was fair to say that CPM covered all bases.note 
  • Puni Puni☆Poemi's North American DVD has Hitomi on the bottom of the back cover looking disturbed, with a text bubble in big letters reading "THIS PERVERSITY IS 17+." (This was kept and updated to "THIS PERVERSITY IS TV-MA-SL" in later pressings after ADV Films switched to the TV ratings system for their suggestions.)
  • YTV's former Bionix block had a variety of content warnings that were used for different anime:
  • The third movie of Berserk is about the Eclipse and contains 3 warnings on the DVD that it is rated for adults only. A typical TV-MA rating, stating that Parental Advisory is needed and a last one in small writing stating 18+ due to their being very graphic violence and an intense rape scene in the movie. The UK DVD only has the typical BBFC 18 rating, though at the back of the box all the writing showing what happens in the work is bolded.
  • On the North American subtitled VHS release of Princess Minerva:
    "WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, NUDITY, AND EVEN SOME PROFANITY...GOLLY!"
  • Crunchyroll added content warnings to Goblin Slayer after they accidentally mislabeled the first episode as TV-PG on VRV and received complaints. Only the first episode really needs it, since the sexual violence and gorn are significantly toned down (although still present) afterwards. Amusingly, it even shows up on Breather Episodes with little if any violence.
    This show contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • In a similar fashion, Crunchyroll also added a content warning for the 10th episode of the Sword Art Online anime's third season, showcasing the Attempted Rape of two female characters.
    The following program contains scenes of violence and sexual assault, and is intended only for mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • Toonami
    • The airing of the Paranoia Agent episode "Happy Family Planning" was preceded by a warning for its imagery and themes about suicide.
      The following episode contains strong conversations and depictions of suicide that may be disturbing to viewers.
      If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicide, please seek help by contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
    • Some Dragon Ball anime and My Hero Academia episodes have a warning that watching the episode can cause epileptic seizures.
    • When the block was still aimed at children, episode 140 of Naruto had a special disclaimer warning for "moderate violence" - in particular, a scene in which a character's still-beating heart is removed from their chest.
  • The back of home media releases for The Animatrix carry the warning "Parental warning: Not intended for younger viewers. This animated program is based on the R-rated motion picture The Matrix. It contains violent images and mature themes that parents may not find suitable for viewers under the age of 17, and that may be particularly disturbing to younger viewers, including intense and graphic images of violence, brief adult language and themes and images of an apparent teen suicide. Parental discretion is strongly advised".
  • The final episode of the original run of Sailor Moon (specifically "Usagi's Love: The Moonlight Illuminates the Galaxy") was rated TV-MA on Hulu for violence and Barbie-doll nudity, requiring an age verification and discretion screen before it could be watched. This was later changed to a TV-14 rating with the required verification dropped.
  • The Discotek Media rerelease of Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure put a disclaimer concerning the work's homophobic content due to the main villain Hermann Von Diett being a homophobic stereotype, ranging from him being a cross-dressing misogynistic Neo-Nazi cult leader, to his name being a pun on the word hermaphrodite, to the several gay panic-style jokes towards his subordinates.
  • Angel Cop warns viewers about the extremely antisemitic themes in the original version of the series. The disclaimer is only shown when the viewer selects the faithful Japanese translation new to their release, instead of the dub or Dubtitle tracks found on previous Western releases of the series.
  • Blade of the Immortal, in its Dark Horse Comics US translations, included a page-long disclaimer explaining the Non-Nazi Swastika motif of the main character, Manji, to forestall complaints over the swastika being prominent in the series. The disclaimer took great pains to mention the Buddhist history of the symbol and how it predated Nazi use by centuries.

    Comic Books 
  • Every comic book published under the MAX imprint of Marvel has the words "Parental Advisory. Explicit Content".
  • All issues of Viz bear the warning "not to be sold to children" due to the art styles of the covers and most strips being more associated with traditional British children's comics.
  • Doom has a small banner above its cover art reading "Consider yourself WARNED!! This book contains scenes of graphic violence!" The warning is so small that readers are guaranteed to see the cover art first, which shows Doomguy shooting a zombie with blood gushing from its head and guts strewn around.
  • Reprints of DC Comics issues from The Golden Age of Comic Books sometimes will have a small disclaimer underneath the first page of the comic, letting readers know that the story being presented contains racial and other stereotypes that were acceptable at the time, are not now, but are being left unedited for historical purposes.

    Fanfic 
  • My Immortal infamously opened one chapter with "WARNING: SUM OF DIS CHAPTA IS XTREMLY SCRAY. VIOWER EXCRETION ADVISD." (The use of the term "excretion" in this context is Hilarious in Hindsight, considering the nature of this fanfic.) It's often used intentionally by Monica Gilbey Bieber to warn his readers about mature content, as a form of Affectionate Parody. Parody Fic Xtremly Scray also takes its title from this warning.
  • The Finale of the Ultimate Meta Mega Crossover began with the following warning:
    Concepts contained in this story may cause SAN Checking in any mind not inherently stable at the third level of stress. Story may cause extreme existential confusion. Story is insane. The author recommends that anyone reading this story sign up with Alcor or the Cryonics Institute to have their brain preserved after death for later revival under controlled conditions. Readers not already familiar with this author should be warned that he is not bluffing.
  • Alvan an the Chipmunks 3: The Second Squeakuel opens with the following:
    WARNING: This is an ANTI-RAPE piece, speaking out against erotic rape scenes in fanfictions. In no way is this meant to be "hot" or anything, it's supposed to be disturbing to show how horrible an criminal rape is. But there are a buncha funny parts an it's not all depressing. I just wanna get a message across to my readers that RAPE IS NOT GOOD.
  • The introduction for Wing Commander 4.123106: The Price of Entertainment has a warning about adult language, graphic violence, gratuitous nudity, sexual content, and "EWSH Extremely Warped Sense of Humor".
  • Chapter 14 of Land Before Time: Revenge has this warning: "Warning: THIS SCENE CONTAINS SOME INTENSE VIOLENCE!"
  • The disclaimer at the beginning of the W.I.T.C.H. fic Redemption's Flame reads: "This is a work of fan fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living, dead, living dead, or un-dead is, like, totally on purpose."
  • Parodied in Calvin & Hobbes: The Series, where a brief lecture on the mechanics of Minesweeper is headed with WARNING! EDUCATIONAL CONTENT!
  • The version of Bait and Switch (STO) posted on the Star Trek Online forums has a warning of minor sexual content above chapter four. It's Eleya mentioning feeling her nipples hardening from seeing Gaarra working out.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh: Tilting the Balance has a warning before the chapter "Hell's Own", informing the reader of the greatly increased gore compared to other chapters. This being the chapter where one of the main characters has a chain shot through her rib cage and out her back, it's not ill-used. A similar warning can be found before the chapters featuring Reston.
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: What Came After has one at the beginning of the April Fool's chapter A Chapter that is Very Legitimate, clarifying that the chapter is non-canon and has nothing to do with the main story's plot.
  • Readers of the Skyhold Academy Yearbook series are accustomed to a complete lack of content warnings, owing to the T rating of the stories. However, in Disorienuptials, they are advised to "Don't drink anything while reading." It's arguably one of the funniest installments in the series and the authors didn't want anyone to choke.
  • Beyond Heroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium has a content warning for major character death. It's notable because it's the only fic ever published by its author to carry that particular warning.
  • The Crack Fic Thirty Hs had a serious content warning added several years after publication, as the author eventually came to believe that wordplays on "fag" and "rape" might come across more offensive than funny.
  • In Despair's Last Resort, the chapter showing the end of the fourth trial warns readers that "this execution is pretty brutal compared to the past ones," and advises sensitive readers to skip the third paragraph.
  • Ennea Series, a My Hero Academia fic: The first chapter of For Their Sakes has a disclaimer that the fic contains cursing, violence and blood, depictions of panic attacks and PTSD, character death (from the future timeline), and possible character death (from the current timeline).
  • With Pearl and Ruby Glowing: Being a fic that focuses on a sexual assault support group, there are trigger warnings in each chapter for sexual content, as well as other warnings such as violence and offensive content. Any chapter containing child sexual abuse has "*CSA*" in its title.
  • Chapter 10 of Later, Traitor has a warning that it contains depictions of depression and suicidal impulses.
  • The Kedabory Verse:
    • Chapter 19 of Glitter Force: Into the Glitterverse contains a warning for the excessive violence in the chapter.
    • Home Sick (NoonboryKedabory) opens with one of these for emetophobianote . The scenes containing the triggering material are designated by markers.
    • A few Ma Fille chapters come with warnings for their content (usually involving vomit).
    • In the Turning Red fic The Panda Chronicles, "Sick Day" contains one due to the story containing vomiting and discussions of parental abandonment.
  • OSMU: Fanfiction Friction, while having no content warnings on the story itself, instead has an in-universe example. Omar and Oswald stumble across a fanfic on the Internet titled Library Love, which has a "for mature readers" warning attached to it. The boys decide to disregard the warning and read the story anyway. It doesn't even take them a minute before they slam the laptop closed.
    Oswald: I don't think we're old enough to read this.
    Omar: I don't think anyone's old enough to read that. I don't know if Orla's old enough to read that...
  • Passion on Display: The chapter "Hitting the Showers" has a content warning for violence before a scene that involves Kirishima being beaten up and called a "faggot" by two hero students.
  • Vow of Nudity is generally pretty unashamed about its NSFW aspects and is loaded with violence and sex scenes. So when the author drops a content warning before Haara's dinner date with the king, you know it's really not going to go well.
  • An In-Universe warning occurs in Queens of Mewni, in which Glossaryck puts a warning before the biography of Venus the Fairest, a queen known for her promiscuity. He notes that Star forced him to put it there, and censor the worst of it, in order to protect the innocence she thinks her daughter Aurora still has. Word of God said that if Marco had known the details of Venus's life, he'd have removed the chapter entirely.
  • In Future of Mewni, one of the Queens of Mewni Spinoffs, Glossaryck puts another one before the biography of Estelena, The Star of Downfall, as she opens the Age of Downfall, one of the darkest eras of Mewni's history and contains dark topics such as rape, teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, and torture, and advised the reader (implied to be someone who only recently learned of their Butterfly heritage) to take it slow.
  • Witching Hour, an Invader Zim Historical AU set in Medieval times, has a content warning at the beginning for descriptions of gore and period-appropriate sexism.
  • While most of the author’s note in My Inner Life is a Dear Negative Reader, it also serves as this, as Link’s Queen warns that her story contains “heavy sex, violence, blood content, and strong abult language.” She takes a moment to clarify that the bonding ceremony has even more detail than the usual love scenes.
  • Kissed by a Rose opens with warnings for slut-shaming and rape, with the chapters where Belle talks about what happened to her repeating the warning and where readers who don't want to read about it should start skipping ahead.

    Films — Animated 
  • Disney+ is utilizing these for older entries in the Disney Animated Canon which are housed on the service in their original form and may contain depictions of racial stereotypes, most notably Dumbo. Similarly, content warnings about tobacco use precede other films (Pinocchio).
    • This has also extended to later physical releases of films in the Canon, with the 4K UHD version of Cinderella having a "Content Warning: CONTAINS TOBACCO DEPICTIONS" label placed above the MPAA rating.
  • Happy Feet Two is rated G in Australia, but they still saw fit to give it a particularly nonsensical content warning: "Very mild sense of threat", without which there is basically no plot.
  • Rob Zombie's The Haunted World of El Superbeasto begins with a very straight-faced rendition of the Frankenstein "friendly warning."
  • Incredibles 2 opens with a disclaimer stating that it contains scenes that may trigger those with photosensitive epilepsy, and also had flyers distributed to theaters to post by the box office or outside of the auditorium showing the movie with said warning. This is referring to the Screenslaver's mind-controlling tricks which border on Epileptic Flashing Lights.
  • In a similar manner to their airings of Tiger Cruise, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (mentioned below), Disney Channel's premiere of Inside Out had a warning at the beginning of the movie that said "The following film contains some scenes that deal with all kinds of emotions and may be intense for younger viewers. Parental guidance is recommended!" alongside clips of the emotions.
  • Parodied in the 1987 direct-to-video release Madballs: Gross Jokes, with the following "disclaimer":
    WARNING! The following program contains scenes which may offend some viewers... Others may experience mild discomfort, nagging backache, post-nasal drip and delirium... followed by rapid heartbeat, swelling of the nose, throat and abdomen and loss of facial hair.
    Repeated viewing of this tape may result in the loss of one's bodily functions, the redistribution of facial features, premature baldness and a difficulty in forming simple sentences.
    So, if you're seriously considering a rewarding, challenging career as a lawn ornament,
    THIS IS THE SHOW FOR YOU!
  • Parodied in the second Scary Godmother movie, The Revenge of Jimmy. Harry, serving as narrator, warns that "those watching of a more sensitive nature may wish to turn away for this next graphic scene of horticultural violence." Cut to Jimmy smashing the pumpkins in an attempt to ruin Halloween.
  • Shrek the Third had a special MPAA content descriptor for "Swashbuckling Action".
  • The Simpsons Movie:
    • The movie was rated PG-13 for "irreverent humor throughout". The studio likely wanted the inclusion of Bart's willie to stay a secret.
    • In Australia, the film was rated PG, but unlike the American release, it at least mentions "animated nudity" as one of the rating reasons.
    • From the beginning of the DVD & Blu-ray, which parodies Fox's 2004 FBI Anti-Piracy warning that directly follows it:
      The Environmental Protection Agency wishes to strenuously object to its depiction in this film. We are a competent, well-meaning government bureaucracy, and if we were ever granted any real power we would never, ever abuse it, we promise.
      Russ Cargill, Acting Head
  • Also parodied in Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation when Fowlmouth and Fifi la Fume are watching a movie, which is advertised as being rated "F" (Not suitable for Fowlmouth).

    Films — Live-Action 
  • "Contains irresponsible behaviour" — Mr. Bean's Holiday UK poster
  • "Contains strong action violence and sexualised posing" — Fast & Furious's UK content advisory.
  • The video and DVD releases of Dogma start with a disclaimer that states that the movie is a work of comedy and not intended to offend or be taken seriously, before going off into a long meandering rant about the platypus representing the fact that God does, in fact, have a sense of humor, even if some viewers don't. What else could explain the platypus, really? He then makes a disclaimer apologizing to all lovers of platypuses.
  • The BBFC caution that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets contains "fantasy spiders", an oddly specific warning. At least it's a real fear, which Ron displays prominently in the film itself.
  • Aliens in the Attic contains a specific content warning about misuse of fireworks, which can be a real safety concern.
  • The Fight Club DVD has another warning after the FBI/copyright notices that only flashes up for 7 seconds before segueing into a freaky animated sequence. If you freeze it, it tells you you're wasting your life freeze-framing DVDs to read it.
  • The first two The Lord of the Rings DVDs were rated PG-13 for "violence and scary images."
    A capsule review for Fellowship of the Ring cautioned that it contained "epic battles, scary monsters, body-piercing swords, and smoking."
  • The DVD case for xXx warns that it's rated PG-13 for, among other things, "Non-Stop Action Sequences".
  • Team America: World Police has the ever-amusing MPAA warning of "graphic crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language — all involving puppets". The BBFC's warning is similar.
  • After the credits of Cannibal! The Musical, there is a message reading: "Due to the graphic nature of this film, it should not have been watched by small children".
  • At the end of the theatrical release of Borat, before the MPAA rating card at the end, the film announces its approval from the Kazakh board of censors. ("Just antisemitic enough," as noted by the title character on his The Daily Show appearance.)
  • During the first several years of the 1930s, when The Hays Code was not yet being strictly enforced but still had to be taken seriously, movies would often be preceded by what many film historians have come to call an "exculpatory preface." This was basically a disclaimer that appeared at the beginning of, for example, gangster films, the sociopolitical melodrama Cabin in the Cotton, and (perhaps most famously of all) the horror film Freaks. Generally speaking, the basic message of the exculpatory preface was something like this: "This film depicts a political or sociological point of view that we, the filmmakers, do not endorse — or maybe we do endorse, but we're denying we're doing so in order to avoid controversy." The Hays Office generally tolerated these, but the prefaces weren't fooling anybody.
  • James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein begins with a classic "friendly warning" by actor Edward Van Sloan:
    We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation — life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even... horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to, uh... Well, we warned you.
  • Bride of Frankenstein opens with a rare, possibly unique in-universe example, with Frankenstein author Mary Shelley telling Percy Shelley and Lord Byron that while her tale was one of terror it was meant to instill a moral lesson.
  • Twister was given a PG-13 by the MPAA for "intense depiction of very bad weather".
  • Public Enemies has "Gangster Violence" as a descriptor.
  • The film North was rated PG for "a few words". Yes, it sounds hilarious but it's true.
  • Prior to airing the infamous nuclear war film Threads, some Canadian broadcasters aired extended disclaimers telling viewers that the film is incredibly disturbing, but that the decision to air it was ultimately made due to the importance of its message. In the US, Ted Turner himself would give an introduction before airing the film on TBS as seen here.
  • Superbad is rated R for: "Pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use, and a fantasy/comic violent image — all involving teens."
  • Disney added a disclaimer on old VHS boxes of Return to Oz, warning about the frightening content. They also added a warning on many advertisements for The Watcher in the Woods.
    As proud as we are of The Watcher in the Woods, Walt Disney Productions strongly recommends that parents pre-screen this picture for pre-teens. It is not for small children!
  • Original posters for the 1971 film The Andromeda Strain carried this warning: "Rated G but may be too intense for younger children."
  • One of the reasons Naked Lunch is rated R by the MPAA is "bizarre eroticism".
  • The 2012 version of The Three Stooges has an epilogue following the movie by the Farelly Brothers showing how the tools used by the Stooges in the film were made out of rubber and the pokes in the eye just barely missed the eye poking the eyelid below, and that children who saw the film should not attempt any of the Stooges' antics themselves.
  • Caligula had the warning printed in large letters directly under the title on the poster of the 20th Anniversary edition (not submitted to the MPAA to avoid the dreaded NC-17 rating):
    "Consider yourself warned. Extremely graphic sex and violence."
  • The Disney Channel original movies Tiger Cruise and Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior were the only two to have such warnings preceding them. The former (according to IMDb) also recommended "family viewing", so families could talk about its Darker and Edgier subject matter.
  • Parodied before the opening credits of the rap Mockumentary Fear of a Black Hat:
    ANNOUNCER: The producers of this film would like to express that they in no manner wish to support or condone the words, phrases and images — such as "ass", "booty", "yo bitch", "Bush is a dickhead", and "big-butt women in tiny bikinis" — which are used in this film. However, in an effort to maintain accuracy and journalistic integrity, words, phrases and images — such as [with more emphasis] "ass", "booty", "yo bitch", "Bush is a dickhead", and "big-butt women in tiny bikinis" — are necessary. [Louder] But rest assured, the words, phrases and images — such as "ASS!", "BOOTY!", "YO BITCH!", "BUSH IS A DICKHEAD!", and "BIG-BUTT WOMEN IN TINY BIKINIS!" — will not be used without warrant, or in any gratuitous manner."
  • Sometime in The '90s, Disney Channel had Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in their rotation. They showed it in its near-entirety — unlike modern airings, the boat scene was almost entirely left in (aside from a small cut). This alone might have spurred them to put a warning in front of it declaring that it might be too scary for kids, but they were also likely concerned about a few other minor things, namely the infamous "You get nothing!" scene (since Gene Wilder's uncharacteristic anger would catch kids off-guard) and Violet becoming a blueberry. In all, this was the only film Disney aired back then which included a warning for something not rated PG-13. A custom warning was shown before airings of The Bear.
    The following wildlife adventure had been edited for television. However, some scenes may be too graphic and intense for young children. Parental discretion is advised.
  • Godzilla vs. Biollante has quite possibly one of the coolest MPAA descriptions ever: rated PG "for traditional Godzilla violence."
  • Dawn Of The Dead was not eligible for any rating lower than X in the United States note  in the cut that director George Romero had intended. Romero was unwilling to cut the movie down to an R (feeling that it compromised his vision for the film), but also didn't want to self-apply the X rating, as by the late '70s, the rating had become associated with pornography and films with the rating were already being subject to bans by movie theaters. Instead, he released the movie to theaters unrated, but with the following disclaimer on all advertising:
    There is no explicit sex in this picture. However, there are scenes of violence which may be considered shocking. No one under 17 will be admitted.
  • The ultra-obscure No Budget Canadian zombie film Corpse Eaters opens with the following disclaimer:
    ANNOUNCER: Attention please: the motion picture you are about to see contains certain very stomach-upsetting scenes. The producers feel they have a moral obligation to warn each and every ticket buyer of this fact. Although most people have the ability to cope with the sudden nausea and shock, there are some people who cannot handle it. Test audiences, after watching this motion picture, suggested that a warning of some sort be included before each scene they found to be upsetting. Therefore, the producers have inserted a special warning buzzer and picture of a patron reacting to the scene. When you see the man turning green and the buzzer sounding, those of you who feel you cannot take it, please do not look at the screen. Here is what to look for: [cue shot of man gagging into handkerchief accompanied by the buzzer] It is your only warning of the scene coming up. Thank you for your co-operation.
  • The 1976 Mexican exploitation film Survive!, based on the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 disaster, carried the following warning in advertisements and on the poster:
    Caution: The re-creation of the plane crash and the survival scenes may be too intense for young teenagers.
  • The poster for the 1967 Film of the Book of Reflections In A Golden Eye says "Suggested for Mature Audiences". At the end of the trailer, the announcer not only repeats this phrase, but sternly advises the viewers to "Leave the children home."
  • The film adaptation of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was released in 1966, two years before the MPAA created the film ratings system. The poster's Tag Line ("You are cordially invited to George and Martha's for an evening of fun and games*") was followed by this footnote: "*Important Exception: No one under 18 will be admitted unless accompanied by his parent." In short, it was the first film to be rated R by the MPAA, before their film rating system even existed. According to IMDb, the film has a rating equivalent to PG-13 or R in most countries.
  • A 1984 NBC showing of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior had the following disclaimer.
    This film is set in the future. Although it has been edited for television, certain scenes of suspense and violence have been retained in order to preserve its artistic integrity. Parental guidance is suggested.
  • C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America is presented as a documentary airing on Confederate television. As it's produced by a rival country with some (for them) controversial views on slavery, it prefaces with this disclaimer:
    The following program is of foreign origin. The content does not reflect the views of this station and may be unsuitable for children and servants. Viewer Discretion is advised.
  • Before NBC's uncut, uninterrupted showing of Schindler's List (also the first ever program to be rated TV-MA), director Steven Spielberg introduced the film with a warning that the film is not recommended for very young children.
  • ABC's premiere of Saving Private Ryan was preceded by a warning disclaimer, as well as abridged warnings whenever the film returned from a commercial break. In addition, the film was also preceded by an introduction by Bob Iger (then-President of The Walt Disney Company) recommending that children not see it, especially since the 9/11 attacks had occurred just two months earlier.
    This film contains prolonged depictions of graphic, realistic World War II violence as well as intense adult language. The original content of the film has not been altered for this television broadcast. Parental and viewer discretion is strongly advised.
    • A&E and The History Channel both have a content disclaimer but two different versions before the movie and after each commercial break.
      The following program is rated TV-MA. It contains crude language and graphic violence. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
    • TNT has a parental discretion advisory rather than the usual TV-MA warning.
      This program contains violent material, strong language, and adult themes which may be unsuitable for children. Parental discretion is advised.
  • FX aired the uncut version of Straight Outta Compton with the following disclaimer at the beginning, plus abridged disclaimers coming out of every break. Check out the warnings to see for yourself.
    The following film is presented in its complete theatrical version. It was rated R by the MPAA and may not be appropriate for children under 17. It is rated TV-MA-LSV and contains strong language, sexual situations, violence and nudity. It is intended only for mature audiences. Viewer Discretion Advised.
  • When The Godfather premiered on NBC in 1975, Francis Ford Coppola introduced the film with a warning recommending that children not watch it and that the story and characters are not meant to perpetuate any negative stereotypes. When it and Part II were repackaged and aired as a miniseries in 1977, his sister Talia Shire (who also played Connie in both films) introduced the first episode with a similar warning, with the subsequent episodes using a written warning.
    THE GODFATHER is a fictional account of the activities of a small group of ruthless criminals. It would be erroneous and unfair to suggest that they are representative of any particular ethnic group. This motion picture classic is graphic in depicting the destructive effects of crime and violence. Although it has been edited for television, parental discretion is advised.
  • Horror parody film Student Bodies is not at all graphic or explicit until a moment about 30 minutes in when it cuts to a man purporting to speak for the film's producers. He explains that, in order to achieve an R rating, a film "must contain full frontal nudity, graphic violence, or an explicit reference to the sex act." He intones that R-rated films are by far the most popular, so "the producers have asked me to take this opportunity to say, 'fuck you'." The MPAA slide showing the film's R rating immediately appears.
  • The MPAA's rating descriptors for Suspiria (2018) are some of their most descriptive in recent years, warning of "disturbing content involving ritualistic violence, bloody images and graphic nudity, and for some language including sexual references."
  • Midsommar warns of "disturbing content involving ritualistic violence," as well as "grisly images, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language."
  • Before the advent of the 12A classification in the UK, which allows children under 12 to attend as long as an adult is present, the 12 category barred children under 12 from the theater. Therefore, there were several blockbusters that toed the line between PG and 12A, but the BBFC ultimately passed them at PG, on the grounds that their distributors give them strong and clear content warnings:
    • Jurassic Park: “Jurassic Park has been passed ‘PG’ (Parental Guidance). Parents are warned that this film contains sequences which may be particularly disturbing to younger children or children of a sensitive disposition.”
    • The Lost World: Jurassic Park: “Parental Guidance - Some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children or those under 8.”
    • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: “PG - battle violence and fantasy horror may not be suitable for under 8’s”
  • When The Boy Who Could Fly was released in theaters and on VHS in the UK, they added a disclaimer.
  • Lorenzo's Oil is rated PG-13 for "a child’s life-threatening ordeal," which, considering its subject matter, is fairly apt.
  • Dora and the Lost City of Gold is rated PG for "action and some impolite humor". Rather oddly specific, though it's relatively true.
  • The poster for Good Boys makes it very clear that in spite of having three sixth graders as the main characters, the film's not for kids as they put the R rating in the center with the MPAA's description:
    "Strong crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout - all involving tweens"
  • Strays (2023) is an Animal Talk movie with dogs, but in an extremely R-rated direction, so the MPAA rating and descriptor dominates the poster and on-screen commercial presence, lest any family unknowingly thinks it's a cute family film along the lines of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.
  • Deadpool aired on Freeform with a custom-made advisory, which counts as a funny moment with a drawing of the Merc himself saying "You're welcome, Deadpool." This also marks the first TV-MA program on the channel, demonstrating it is DEFINITELY not a family channel anymore.
    This program contains strong language, graphic violence, and nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • Freeform aired Scream (1996) with a warning about its content, although it was edited down to a TV-14.
    "'Scream' is scary (in a very real way,) so be real careful who watches it. Viewer discretion advised. (If your kids get scared, don’t @ us.)"
  • As of September 2020, SundanceTV has begun showing the following before airings of Pet Sematary and The Shining: “This film includes language and/or cultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today’s standards of inclusion and tolerance and may offend some viewers.”
  • Alice in Wonderland (2010)'s MPAA rating is, "for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar."
  • In the film Yes Day, the parents attend a parent-teacher conference and are presented with a video their son Nando made for his history class. The video begins with a notice that it is rated R, saying it is for mature audiences only, containing violence, disturbing images, adult language and nudity and that viewer discretion is advised. "Don't worry," the male teacher assures the parents. "There's no nudity."
  • FXM's airings of Fox's classic movies like Alien, Aliens and My Cousin Vinny during the Oscars weekend got similar treatment to Straight Outta Compton; they were broadcast uncut, with a TV-MA rating and an advisory.
    The following film is presented in its complete theatrical version. It was rated R by the MPAA and may not be appropriate for children under 17. It is rated TV-MA-LV and contains strong language and violence. It is intended only for mature audiences. Viewer Discretion Advised.
  • Much surprising, FX aired the uncut version of The Shawshank Redemption and BlacKkKlansman with the same disclaimer like Straight Outta Compton at the beginning, plus abridged disclaimers coming out of every break. See for yourself.
  • In a rare case of a disclaimer showing at the end of a program, WGN in Chicago added the following message after a 1982 airing of Taxi Driver, a year after the movie had inspired the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan: "TO OUR TELEVISION AUDIENCE - In the aftermath of violence, the distinction between hero and villain is sometimes a matter of interpretation or misinterpretation of facts. TAXI DRIVER suggests that tragic errors can be made. - The Filmmakers"
  • A 1987 NBC airing of The Terminator gives a warning for "strong physical force".
  • At the beginning of the direct-to-VHS film Buffalo Heart, there is a warning screen that says, “The following motion picture has not been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. It contains violence and nudity which may be unsuitable for younger viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.”
  • Universal Pictures sent out flyers to theaters for Candyman (2021) warning about flashing lights in the film that could potentially trigger one's epilepsy.
  • Not Okay: When the film was released on Hulu, it came with one warning that it featured, among other things, an "unlikable female protagonist". This was actually a tongue-in-cheek dig at test screening audiences who had complained that they found Danni unlikable, despite the fact that a) they weren't meant to like her and that b) there are plenty of films featuring equally, if not more, unlikable male protagonists. However, the joke flew over the heads of many viewers, who were confused as to why they were being warned about this.
  • The original US release prints of Evil Dead 2 opened with a warning that the film is not recommended for anyone under the age of 17. This can still be seen on most VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray releases.
  • During Cannibal Girls' initial theatrical run, the film employed a "warning bell" gimmick, which rang in theatres to warn the more squeamish members of the audience for impending gory scenes.
  • Some early-2020s airings of Rush Hour on the USA Network opened with a disclaimer warning audiences of some of the more politically incorrect content in the film.
  • The same warnings for many of the Disney Animated Canon entries on Disney+ also extend to some of the company's older live-action films as well.
  • The Canadian channel GameTV has shown content warnings during movies in the top-left corner of the screen. For example, at one point in Snitch it says, "The following scene portrays illegal drug use."

    Literature 
  • The Spitting Image parody of Margaret Thatcher's memoirs bore a sticker on the front that said "WARNING! This book carries a salacious warning on the front that is an OBSCENE attempt to sell more copies".
  • Older Than Print: Geoffrey Chaucer uses a content warning in the "Miller's Prologue" from The Canterbury Tales.
  • Dave Barry:
    • Big Trouble comes with a warning at the beginning saying that the book contains bad words and is not for children. His next novel, Tricky Business, had a similar warning in a larger typeface, because apparently not enough readers of Big Trouble got the warning.
    • "The Unkindest Cut of All" begins with a warning that the column's topic (circumcision) "involves an extremely mature subject matter that might offend your community standards, if your community has any."
    • "Gobble, Gobble, Eeeeeeeeek!" interrupts the column for a "WARNING TO TASTEFUL READERS: You should NOT—I repeat, NOT—read the rest of this column if you are likely to be in any way offended by the term 'turkey rectums.'"
  • Terry Pratchett's Nation has a couple of author's notes at the back where he explains some of the science used (with Don't Try This at Home warnings). He then subverts it with his final note:
    Thinking
    This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you.
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events uses this often, to the point where such warnings have a page all to themselves.
  • The first page of Helter Skelter, prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s recounting of the Manson Family murders, is blank save for the statement "The story you are about to read will SCARE THE HELL OUT OF YOU."
  • Someone is Eating the Sun portrays various farm animals reacting to a solar eclipse, sometimes looking directly at the sun. At the beginning of the book, the author warns people not to do this.
  • Eden Green begins with a warning that the novel contains everything from suicide attempts to spiders.
  • Neil Gaiman released an audio book collection of short stories titled Warning: Contains Language, which caused considerable confusion to record stores and buyers who didn't get the joke. Gaiman has another story collection called Trigger Warning. He explains himself in the introduction:
    Many of these stories end badly for at least one of the people in them. Consider yourself warned.
  • Ravelling Wrath, a Web Serial Novel, has expandable content warnings of the beginning of each chapter.
  • The World of Thedas encyclopedias for the Dragon Age video game series contain a rather hilarious example. Varric Tethras, who in-universe is a popular author, has had his body of work decried by the prominent religion of the setting (or at least by one very disgruntled nun); the faithful are warned that Tethras books basically consist of "smut, pulp, or occasionally, smutty pulp." This warning is then followed by an excerpt from his most popular story, Hard in Hightown.
  • Roald Dahl included a warning in the beginning of George's Marvellous Medicine, warning readers to not attempt making the titular medicine themselves, as the results could be dangerous.
  • Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories: The book starts with a parody warning, telling us to get something else to read in case we're easily frightened.
  • The Young Adult novel Someone To Kiss My Scars comes with a sincere warning in the preface about its contents:
    This book contains scenes of sexual abuse, self-mutilation, and suicide. It should not be read by teens who wish to be shielded from such harsh realities their peers may be enduring alone. Nor by anyone who desires to remain in the dark despite being in a position to shine light. However, those who suffer in private or wish to help those who do—please read this story and share its contents.
  • When they were first published, the A Court of Thorns and Roses books came with warnings on the covers advising reader discretion for mature content; this was mostly because of the books often being put into the teen section or labelled Young Adult while containing explicit sexual content. When A Court of Silver Flames came out, the books' marketing was shifted towards an adult audience, with the new editions of the earlier books no longer coming with the content warning because they're now placed with the adult fantasy books (most of the time).

    Music 
  • PARENTAL ADVISORY stickers were the controversial brainchild of Tipper Gore (hence the nickname, "Tipper Sticker") and her Parents Music Resource Center, spurred mostly by Tipper catching one of her daughters listening to a Prince album that mentioned the word "masturbation". The 1985 Senate Labor and Commerce Committee hearings saw Frank Zappa, Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister and John Denver testify about their responsibilities as musicians and the fact that the stickers, a seemingly innocuous choice-enabling tool, were a form of censorship. But since there is No Such Thing as Bad Publicity, musicians deemed controversial saw their record sales skyrocket. By the 90's—the era of gangsta rap, hardcore rock, and sexually-charged R&B—Parental Advisory stickers became a selling point, often comically oversized to show that the artist is that risque.
  • Perhaps owing to internet streaming making the whole thing somewhat moot, it's become more common for albums to lack an "explicit lyrics" sticker despite containing profanity, such as Lorde's Melodrama. The same goes for the Black Eyed Peas, whose albums lack a Parental Advisory label despite the songs having explicit lyrics; certain releases and retailers add a content warning sticker to the albums as a precaution, however.
  • Digital music sites will typically have an explicit tag for individual tracks.
  • The Danzig song "Mother" is written from the perspective of the Parental Advisory sticker ("Mother, tell your children not to walk my way"), though the album itself does not carry one.
  • A sticker on the cover of some Guns N' Roses albums reads, "This album contains language which some listeners may find objectionable. They can F?!* OFF and buy something from the New Age section."
  • From the back cover of Liquid Tension Experiment's first album:
    Caution: "Three Minute Warning" is not for the musically faint-hearted, impatient, or critics of extreme self-indulgence. If you fall into any of the above categories, please hit the stop button on your CD player after track #8.
  • Queens of the Stone Age's Era Vulgaris has a sticker that reads: "Rental Advisory: Freedom Not for Purchase".
  • The cover for the P.D.Q. Bach album Oedipus Tex & Other Choral Calamities bears this humorous sticker:
    Warning! Contains "Classical Rap"
    Pathetic Advisory: Inane Lyrics
  • Metallica's Master of Puppets
    The only track you probably won't want to play is "Damage, Inc." due to the multiple use of the infamous "F" word. Otherwise, there aren't any "Shits", "Fucks", "Pisses", "Cunts", "Motherfuckers" or "Cocksuckers" anywhere on this record.
  • In the music video for "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed, just before the video starts, the lead singer warns the audience that the following song contains themes of suicide, advertising the national suicide prevention hotline as well. He probably did this by choice, especially considering that his girlfriend did kill herself.
  • Capitol Steps recordings: "Warning: this CD contains parodies!"
  • The Offspring has a long content warning on its Ixnay on the Hombre album which is better suited to the Quotes Wiki, so you can read it there.
  • Mindless Self Indulgence had an inversion. The radio-friendly version of "Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy" had a sticker with the following disclaimer: "This recording has been carefully wiped clean and has absolutely no filthy words like FUCK so that you can play it at your radio facility. Now hurry the fuck up and play the fucking thing." Also, all vowels in the song titles on the back cover were *'d out.
  • Steel Panther, an Affectionate Parody of the hair metal genre, has two warning stickers on its album Feel The Steel. The one on the front is a standard Parental Advisory label, while the one on the back has this to say:
    "The CD/LP you are about to listen to contains parodies that feature foul language, adult content, satanic imagery and depictions of sexually deviant fantasies that may offend the religious right, the unreligious left, fat girls, skinny girls, metrosexuals, animal lovers, animal haters, hippies, skinheads, the current presidential administration and people with ears. The record label and its parent companies do not endorse or support the opinions of Steel Panther. They just think they f—king rock."
  • Iggy Pop's American Caesar bears the sticker "Parental Advisory: THIS IS AN IGGY POP RECORD."
  • The cover of Running Wild's Under Jolly Roger features a sticker that warns about loud effects that might damage the stereo, which refers to the cannon fire in the opening track.
  • While the uncensored version of Bloodhound Gang's Hooray For Boobies carried a sticker warning about "Extremely Offensive Material," the notoriously bastardized edited version (retitled Hooray) revises this to the odd "WARNING: Extremely Funny Material." Very few of the tracks are meant to be laugh-out-loud funny, just cleverly written; and others ("Along Comes Mary" in particular) aren't meant to be funny at all. The only big laugh-out-loud moment, really, is the hidden track — which, of course, is butchered.
  • Elvis Costello infamously placed a parody warning sticker on the front of his 1981 Almost Blue album reading, "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners."
  • Neil Young wrote and recorded a song called "Fuckin' Up" (actually written "F*!#in' Up") so that he could get a warning sticker. He didn't.
  • Sire Records' Just Say... compilation series had an album entitled Just Say Anything which carried a parental advisory sticker. It also opens with the song "Warning Parental Advisory" by John Wesley Harding and Steve Wynn, which pretty much deconstructs the trope through and through.
    Warning, this is a parental advisory
    The words on this disc are in no way offensive
    They're just going to say what you already know
  • The somewhat erratic liner notes for Lou Reed's Sensory Abuse album Metal Machine Music end with this:
    As way of disclaimer, I am forced to say that, due to stimulation of various centers (remember OOOHHHMMM, etc.), the possible negative contraindications must be pointed out. A record has to, of all things. Anyway, hypertense people, etc., possibility of epilepsy (petite mal) psychic motor disorder etc., etc., etc. My week beats your year.Lou Reed
  • Frank Zappa
    • He stuck a disclaimer sticker on his album Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention:
      WARNING/GUARANTEE: This album contains material which a truly free society would neither fear nor suppress. In some socially retarded areas, religious fanatics and ultra-conservative political organizations violate your First Amendment Rights by attempting to censor rock & roll albums. We feel that this is un-Constitutional and un-American. As an alternative to these government-supported programs (designed to keep you docile and ignorant). Barking Pumpkin is pleased to provide stimulating digital audio entertainment for those of you who have outgrown the ordinary. The language and concepts contained herein are GUARANTEED NOT TO CAUSE ETERNAL TORMENT IN THE PLACE WHERE THE GUY WITH THE HORNS AND POINTED STICK CONDUCTS HIS BUSINESS. This guarantee is as real as the threats of the video fundamentalists who use attacks on rock music in their attempt to transform America into a nation of check-mailing nincompoops (in the name of Jesus Christ). If there is a hell, its fires wait for them, not us.
    • Zappa has an album called Jazz from Hell, which was the only instrumental album to ever warrant a Parental Advisory sticker. Why? Because one of the songs is called "G Spot Tornado".
  • The Styx album Kilroy Was Here was originally issued with a sticker whose text began: "By order of the Majority for Musical Morality, this album contains secret backwards messages and the songs..."
  • Dos Gringos fourth album, rather obviously titled "El Cuatro", had the entire cover given over to one.
    Contents: Wildly varying musical styles, simple melodies, kick-ass guitar solos, off-key singing, foul language, extreme sarcasm, total defilement of the Queen's English, bathroom humor, political incorrectness, disregard for authority, juvenile behavior, excessive references to genitalia, occasional wit.
    Contains 1% or less of the following: Intelligence, class, subtlety, good judgment, concern.
    Warning: Produced in places that routinely process pure filth and garbage.
  • The Aristocrats' first album (not unlike Zappa's Jazz from Hell listed above) gained them a parental advisory sticker... for an instrumental. Its title? Blues Fuckers.
  • Some copies of The Beautiful South’s album Blue is the Colour carry a sticker on the front cover reading "WARNING - Track one contains some possibly offensive blue language". This is referring to the song "Don’t Marry Her", which drops an F-bomb in the chorus, as well as "bollocks" in the first verse.
  • George Michael, before MTV airings of his controversial video for “I Want Your Sex,” stated the following warning:
    George: In the past, there were arguments for and against casual sex. Then, it became a question of morality. These days, it can be a question of life or death. It's as simple as that. And this song is not about casual sex.
  • Mad Magazine ran a spoof of advisory labels for record albums some time back. For The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album, the advisory label read:
    Warning: This album contains intelligent lyrics and good music. As such, it may be unsuitable for today's listeners.
  • When the music video for Good Charlotte's "Hold On" aired on MuchMusic in Canada, the phone number for Kids Help Phone, a hotline that provides confidential help for young people struggling with bullying, abuse, mental health, or other issues, came up because the video features mentions of teen suicide (the song is very clearly anti-suicide and encourages teens to ask for help and to keep going).
  • Michael Jackson expressed regret over making the song "Thriller" due to its supernatural and occult themes, as he was at the time a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses and such imagery is contrary to his beliefs—he was quoted by the JW periodical Awake! as saying "I would never do it again!"; he intended to do a fun short film to promote the song, but balked shortly after its release as he did not want to offend or scare people. Jehovah's Witness elders took umbrage at what was perceived as promoting demonology and threatened excommunication against Jackson. In a panic, which nearly got to the point of having the film's negatives destroyed, a compromise was eventually settled with a ghostwritten disclaimer by John Landis was added at the beginning disassociating Jackson and his religious beliefs with the film's occult themes, stating "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult."
  • Some CDs of Monty Python Sings came with this parody of the Parental Advisory sticker on the cover:
    Python Advisory: This is a very rude album and occasionally we say something really smutty. It’s all Graham’s fault!
  • Eminem:
    • Slim Shady EP, which debuted Eminem's evil alter ego, signals to his fans that his new material is going to be harder than the Conscious Hip Hop he was doing on his previous album.
      Warning! This shit's 'bout to be rated R, Restricted:
      See this bullet hole in my neck? It's self-inflicted!
    • The Slim Shady LP has an Album Intro Track of a public service announcer warning that 'the views on this album are totally fucked, and are not necessarily the views of anyone'. We're also told Don't Try This at Home, and Slim Shady adds at the end "don't do drugs". (The Marshall Mathers LP opens with a parody of this in which the public service announcer, instead of warning us, just passes on Slim Shady's death threats against the audience.)
    • The music video for "Darkness" opens with a card warning the audience that the video shows scenes of a mass shooting that, for those who have survived such events, might be "activating".
    • The YouTube version of the music video for "The Way I Am" was edited to include a warning due to its depiction of Eminem attempting suicide. ("The Monster", which homages this, does not.)
  • Andrew "Dice" Clay opted to forego the then brand-new Parental Advisory label for his debut album Dice, instead using a label that simply states “WARNING: This album is offensive.” And for promotional copies sent to radio stations, he went the extra mile with a custom sticker:
    ATTENTION RADIO STATION PERSONNEL: This album is offensive. And probably illegal if broadcast. Play it only at home.
  • Parodied on the front cover of Disney's Tigger Mania album, which says, "NO PARENTAL ADVISORY" with smaller "ages 6-12" text below.
  • The song "Let Me Get ‘Em" by Soulja Boy opens with a warning from Soulja Boy's manager and producer at the time, Mr. Collipark, stating:
    Mr. Collipark: This is a public service announcement. “Shoot Out” is a dance, and is not intended to incite any violent behavior. You.

    Newspaper Comics 

    Podcasts 
Audio dramas
  • Camp Here & There Has this warning for the series as a whole, as well as more specific warnings in the descriptions for some individual episodes:
    "Disclaimer: Camp Here & There is not intended for audiences under the age of 16. The story deals with mature themes and graphic horror which may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised."
  • Dining In The Void doesn’t start giving content warnings at the top until episode 3.
    ”The following episode contains loud screaming, kidnapping, torture, and minor character death. If you are sensitive to any of these, please listen at your own discretion.“
  • Greater Boston has a few content warnings at the end of their show notes, but not all of them are helpful.
  • Teller was a guest on a podcast about Buster Keaton. Before getting into the interview, the host warned the audience that "there is some swearing."
  • The Lavender Ladies begins each episode with a content warning.
    “We have quite a thrilling story to tell you, but before we get along too much further, a warning; this podcast contains swearing, and themes of violence, drugs, sex, organized crime, torture, and murder. Listener discretion is advised.”
  • What's The Frequency includes a list of content warnings at the end of their show notes.
  • My Dad Wrote a Porno:
    "The following podcast contains adult themes, sexual content, and strong language. Basically, all the good stuff."

Other podcasts

  • All of Anime Slushie's RWBY podcasts contain a disclaimer warning fans of the show to stay away and not suffer. In addition, some of the more edgelord magical girl media covered, like Spec-Ops Asuka and Wonder Egg Priority, is given a content warning for "basically anything that could be in an edgy anime" (because it's probably in the show being discussed).
  • NPR’s ‘’Pop Culture Happy Hour’’ will open with a content warning if the episode contains discussion or mention of triggering topics such as suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, or animal cruelty.
  • Sick Sad World uses them frequently, both in the podcasts themselves and in the show notes. It's stated that using these was one of the first things hosts Jasmine and Dev agreed upon before they started the podcast.

    Professional Wrestling 
  • WWE's programs in the late '90s Attitude Era often had a content warning about violence and sexual situations — delivered by one of the resident Divas, who would vamp it up through the entire announcement.
  • On WWE DVDs, all of the trailers before the main menu are skippable — except for the mildly graphic one that shows the end result of any number of in-ring injuries, with the stern request to "Please do not try this at home".
  • Out of respect for Chris Benoit's double murder-suicide, anything on the WWE Network featuring him are preceded by the following: "The following program is presented in its original form. It may contain some content that does not reflect WWE's corporate views and may not be suitable for all viewers. WWE characters are fictitious and do not reflect the personal lives of the actors portraying them. Viewer discretion is advised." To avoid further "promotion" of Benoit, none of the events — even the ones he headlined — mention him in the program descriptors, and his matches lack a chapter select on every show. This warning also follows any archived or content programming that is rated TV-14 or TV-MA, as they run counter to the current company image of "family-friendly sports-entertainment".
  • Briscoe Brothers promos are occasionally preceded by "a mature audiences only" warning, especially in Ring of Honor, who tried and failed to "tune them down" across two television deals. As time went on ROH had to add more and more words to the disclaimers and once had "trained professionals" in quotes on the disclaimer itself in relation to the "stunts" being performed.
  • When Truth Martini took over a bar in Chicago and used it run an unauthorized "Night of Hoopla", it was preceded by the disclaimer: "The views of Truth Martini do not represent the views of ROH Wrestling, its management, or its subsidiaries."
  • Before Vendetta Pro Wrestling 2014 anniversary show, Sunami read the "the view expressed may not reflect" disclaimer himself before he and Kadin Anthony explained their four-year feud with the Ballard brothers and their intention to end the Ballards' careers for good.
  • The back of one of The Sandman's official T-shirts featured one:
    "PARENTAL WARNING: Sandman Has Been Known To Promote Smoking, Drinking And Ass Kicking. Keep Away From Childern."

    Radio 
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978):
    • One episode of the third series finishes with the warning: "The preceding program contains scenes of extreme violence which may be disturbing to some viewers. Time travellers of a nervous disposition may wish to consider listening to something else for the previous half-hour."
    • A straight example was when the episode featuring the destruction of the Guide offices was broadcast on Radio 4 shortly after 9/11.
  • The Archers: An episode where Owen rapes Kathy was preceded by such a warning, and immediately followed by a hotline number.
  • * When BBC (Radio) 7note  launched in 2002 as a "nostalgia" station dedicated to rebroadcasting old content, it straight away ran into editorial problems concerning what was and what was not a fit subject for comedy as perceptions concerning what could be considered fair material for a joke had changed over the years. A much-anticipated staple of the station was the promised opening up of the BBC's radio comedy archives and the first broadcast in decades of many old favorites, such as 60s-era shows Round the Horne and I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again. The trouble was that many of the jokes about gays and coloured people perfectly acceptable then could not be presented anymore. But fans of these shows protested loudly at any hint of editorializing or censorship, demanding they be broadcast whole and uncut. Eventually the BBC conceded the point and prefaced rebroadcasts with a necessary advisory that the humour reflected what was acceptable for its day, and some content might be found offensive by modern standards.
  • The 1940s horror series Lights Out routinely opened with one of these:
    "Lights Out brings you stories of the supernatural and the supernormal, dramatizing the fantasies and mysteries of the unknown. We tell you this frankly, so if you wish to avoid the excitement and tension of these imaginative plays, we urge you calmly — but sincerely — to turn off your radio now."
  • Comically exaggerated in an episode of Hello Cheeky:
    "Is it suitable for children?
    "It's not even suitable for people!"
  • Parodied at the top of each hour of Michael Savage's Savage Nation talk show as such.
    "Warning: The Michael Savage Show contains adult language, adult content, psychological nudity. Listener discretion is advised."
  • Monty Python spoofed this in the "executive intro" for the soundtrack album of Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
    There is little or no offensive material [on this record] apart from four cunts, one clitoris, and a foreskin. And, as they only occur in this opening introduction, you're past them now.
  • Ken Hamblin's show would sometimes go into a commercial break with this parody warning:
    "Caution! This radio show could prove hazardous to your victimizations and should be avoided at all costs if you are a white liberal, a quota black or brown, and trust in the merits of affirmative action forever. Should you fit into the above categories, the host and your radio station assume no responsibility for your predictable discomfort."
  • When episodes of the Casey Kasem-era American Top 40 are rebroadcast, the episode's original broadcast date is given at the start of each hour, similar to the Crocodile Hunter example.

    Roleplay 
  • In Survival of the Fittest, topics containing either extreme violence or graphic sex are expected to be given content warnings. This usually just results in more people reading it. In later years handlers have started posting more conventional trigger warnings for things like mental health problems, depictions of suicide, abuse, and so on.

    Tabletop Games 
  • The box for Chez Geek, as well as its spinoffs, contains the tongue-in-cheek warning "For adult audiences only. Actual maturity not required."
  • Dungeons & Dragons' Book of Vile Darkness, a splatbook devoted to evil-aligned abilities, got a mature content warning that was somewhat out of proportion to the level of sex and violence actually present in it. Then Book of Exalted Deeds, a good-themed splatbook, got one too — but it contained things like saints, martyrs, and a feat that gave the character stigmata, and thus could conceivably offend certain groups. According to the designers, though, the warnings were there to deter the temptation to abuse the overpowered abilities present in both books.
  • All Palladium Books products feature some form of warning on their first page (most infamously Rifts's "WARNING: Violence and the supernatural"), along with a blurb about "parental discretion" and the company and writers not condoning magic, drug use, or violence in Real Life.

    Theme Parks 
  • In the past, the Disney Theme Parks have labeled some attractions with a black and yellow exclamation point, indicating that they may be frightening for children. The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter deserves special mention, as the sign claimed it would not only be too intense for children “but some adults as well”. It was later rethemed into Stitch's Great Escape!, which lacked this warning.
  • Until sometime in the 2010s, Universal Studios Florida used to give "PG-13" ratings to attractions they deemed too inappropriate or too intense for children. Attractions that received this rating included Universal's Horror Make-Up Show, Twister...Ride it Out, Terminator 2 3-D: Battle Across Time, and Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue.
  • At Knoebels, a historic amusement park in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, the haunted mansion ride has several warning signs posted along the queue, advising riders of the presence of flashing lights and also that it might be too scary for young children. The 'scary' warning signs are a source of amusement to those familiar with the ride, which was created in 1973 and is not exactly terrifying for modern audiences.note 

    Theatre 
  • Avenue Q has warnings such as "PARENTAL ADVISORY: 60% adult situations and 40% foam rubber" and "Not appropriate for children due to language and adult content such as full puppet nudity."
  • Jersey Boys has this disclaimer: "This musical contains smoke, loud gunshots, strobe lights, and authentic, offensive Jersey vocabulary."

    Video Games 
  • Games which allow players to send each other content were given the ESRB warning "Game experience may change during online play." This is even true for certain games outside the ESRB's region. It was later replaced by "Online interactions not rated by the ESRB". There is a similar one for music games with downloadable songs to play on: "Music downloads not rated by the ESRB".
  • Racing Games with licensed or realistic vehicles, such as the Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport series, will have a disclaimer that the cars featured in the game may differ from their real-life counterparts in design or performance (and also to be a safe driver). This is partly because Our Lawyers Advised This Trope; although these games use authenticity as a selling point, they could open themselves up to lawsuits if a car behaves worse in the game than it does in real life. Tokyo Xtreme Racer Drift 2 went further and added that some cars included in the game may "not be available in certain parts of the world".
  • One content warning or Trigger for certain games mentions "Allusions to sexual violence" where it may hint at or depict rape. Older games (such as Dragon Age: Origins) which had depictions of rape, allusions to it, and the game addressing it as such have not been reclassified, and this has only thus affected later games.
    • Metro: Last Light contains a scene where two soldiers attempt to rape a woman, before she dies.
    • One scene in Beyond: Two Souls again has the Attempted Rape of the main character, this time by two bar flies, before her ghost guardian intervenes violently.
    • For Watch_Dogs one of the big missions involves shutting down a sex slave operation, and instead of a simple allusion like, say, The Punisher it goes into enough detail to provide context that this is abuse, rape, sexual violence.
  • Sega preceded the ESRB with its own ratings board, the Videogame Ratings Council, with the available ratings being GA for General Audiences, and MA-13 and MA-17 for Mature Audiences at or over those respective ages. Even after the ESRB formed and made the VRC redundant, they created a special "Deep Water" rating for games with a definitive adult theme. Only three games ever got this rating, in addition to the normal ESRB rating: Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side, X-Perts, and the Sega Saturn port of Duke Nukem 3D.
  • Many Eroge games come with disclaimers that state that all characters in-game that are involved in sexual situations are over the age of 18. How true this actually is tends to vary.
  • Prior to the 2003 founding of the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), Japan’s video game ratings board, several publishers placed red triangles on particularly violent games with the warning, "This game contains violent scenes and grotesque expressions." The red triangle still appears on some games today that are rated C (ages 15 and over) and above, and alternative versions, such as a small red square next to the rating and a different warning for "extreme violence," are also common.
  • When you boot up Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning:
    WARNING! In case you haven't figure [sic] it out yet, this game is intended to be a horror game. As such, it has loud noises, flashing images, and is overall pretty spooky. (Well, at least it's supposed to be...) If you downloaded this thinking it would be great edutainment for your kid or something, don't let them play it! Unless, of course, they enjoy horror games. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
  • Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden has "⚠WARNING⚠ May be erotic for child" spin onto the screen at the start of the Dating Sim minigame (see the start of this video). The minigame contains absolutely nothing erotic beyond a full-screen image of Cyberdwarf and Ivory Latta kissing (not show in the linked video).
  • Call of Duty:
    • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 goes beyond having a content warning; it allows you to skip the "No Russian" level, which it warns might be considered disturbing. The warning is entirely justified, as the level has you participating in a simulated terrorist attack, striding through an airport and gunning down civilians. This level was the sole reason for the game getting an 18 rating from the BBFC in the UK - without it, the game would have been a 15.
    • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 lets you avoid the perspective switch at the ending of the "Mind the Gap" level for the same reason. The level is about chasing down a truck filled with deadly chemicals. With the disturbing content turned off, the perspective remains on the level's player character as the decoy truck his squad fell for explodes, killing him. Otherwise, the player's point of view changes to that of a civilian family on vacation just as the target truck detonates in front of them, resulting in the on-screen Death of a Child.
  • Content warnings are toggleable in Chicory: A Colorful Tale. Usually, they'll be noted before specific story scenes when they're on, mentioning potentially triggering subjects and even allowing the player to skip them. In Chapter 5, the game even asks if you're sure you want to see a scene that's particularly heavy.
  • The Communitree: You're warned that some parts of the game have flashing lights, but you can turn them off in the options.
  • Conker's Bad Fur Day includes a content warning on the game's box, on the Instruction Booklet, at the start of the game, and when launching the game in the Compilation Rerelease Rare Replay.note  But it's all justified because of the strong language, sexual references, gory violence, use of alcohol and tobacco, Toilet Humor, and the in-game elements of war, survival horror, and bank theft — all in a kid-friendly art style.
  • In Cookie Clicker, the flavor text for the One Mind upgrade gives you red warning text, and attempting to purchase it gives you a dialog box warning you of potentially unexpected and undesirable results and asking if you really want to purchase it. Because if you click OK, you trigger the Grandmapocalypse.
  • Cragne Manor: The game begins on a content warning. It then asks you if you really want to play; if you say no, it says "We respect your decision! Have a great day." and closes out of the game.
    Welcome to Cragne Manor! Before we begin, we want to make sure you really understand what you’re getting yourself into...

    CONTENT WARNING

    Please be warned that this game contains:

    cosmic horror, body horror, psychological horror, gore, violence, murder, death, self-harm, suicide, mutilation, decapitation, racism, spiders, snakes, rats, aggressive birds, deceased animals, insects, incest, nonexplicit references to uncomfortable sexual situations involving minors, abusive relationships, domestic violence, pregnancy loss, ghosts, mental illness, homelessness, alcoholism, oppressive religious organizations, bullying, kidnapping, hostile vegetation, fungal overgrowth, creepy dolls, creepy children, references to human/anthropomorphic animal sex, eyeball contact, scatological references, strong language, virgin sacrifice, demon summoning, demon possession, blood, skeletons, viscera, infectious disease...

    ...and possibly several other types of disturbing content we forgot to include.
  • The Crooked Man says right after the start "This game contains sudden surprises and harsh images. The weak of heart and those poor with horror should not play. The author takes no responsibility for any trouble that arises from playing the game."
  • The Dark Tales game series is based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Since The Tell-Tale Heart (the eighth installment), the opening cinematics have included warnings about the frightening contents of the games.
  • Death end re;Quest and Death end re;Quest 2 open with warnings that the games contain “graphic depictions of violence and grotesque scenes”, being two of the only Compile Heart games to get high age ratings for anything other than Fanservice.
  • Destroy All Humans! (2020) opens with a disclaimer that the narrative of the original 2005 game (laced with all the Deliberate Values Dissonance of a 1950's America setting) has been left untouched... written in a tone mocking the increased sensitivity of audiences due to the shifted cultural zeitgeist in the 15 years between releases:
    "Humans of planet Earth, be advised: while the experience has been upgraded, the content and historical record of the original invasion of the Furons remains a near-identical clone! The story, words, and images contained within may be shocking for the modern human brain!"
  • Devil May Cry: The first three games always open with a warning about the explicit violence and gore... then Dante (or Trish in DMC1) shows up and destroys those warning screens.
    • Capcom put similar content warnings on several of their M rated titles during the late '90s to early 2000s, most notably the earlier installments of the Resident Evil and Onimusha series.
  • Disney Dreamlight Valley added a warning in the July 2023 update regarding the Forgotten Memories questline:
    The Forgotten Memories Quests deal with some difficult emotions and themes, such as sadness, loneliness, and anger.
    If you're not in the right space to deal with these themes, consider returning to your Village until you feel prepared to face them.
    No matter what you decide to do, the Fairy Godmother will be right here, waiting to support you!
  • DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label comes with descriptions of Bomb Style, Power Style, and Strong Style on the Style select screen. Strong Style's description is juxtaposed with a difficulty warning every few seconds:
    "DANGER — This style is customized for advanced players. Proceed only if you have prepared yourself."
  • Dreaming Mary
    • The game's download page mentions that "This game is not intended for children or those of a nervous disposition and may contain triggering content."
    • The radio voice during the sound test says that some areas of the dream "may not be suitable for children or those of a nervous disposition." And they mean it.
  • Dress Up! Time Princess began adding content warnings to their books after the controversial release of Have You Seen Claudia?, warning for subjects such as bullying, suicide, abuse, death, sexual assault, etc, and highly encouraging only players above a certain age (either 13 or 18, depending on the heaviness of the story and themes) play through the story.
  • Europa Universalis III has "alcohol and tobacco references" (i.e. the presence of wine and tobacco as goods which can be traded) contributing to its 12+ rating, alongside (very) "mild violence" consisting of sprites bloodlessly shooting at each other.
  • Eversion contains the following: "Not suitable for children or those of a nervous disposition." It's on the screen right before the title screen — right underneath an H. P. Lovecraft quote. The warning is quite appropriate, as the game is noted for making nervous players slightly paranoid.
  • Despite being entirely bloodless and its violence nearly entirely slapstick, God Hand gets a violence warning in the US (over a picture of Gene nailing someone in the crotch) — just because of the "Head Slicer" God Reel.
  • Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice opens with a content warning about the game's depiction of psychosis (which by most accounts is very accurate), along with a URL leading to a website with help and information about mental health issues. A more run-of-the-mill violence warning gets relegated to the bottom, after the mental health information.
  • In Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2, Meijin Takahashi (famous for Adventure Island) will warn players personally to not play the game in a dark room.
  • Booting up Infernax has you view a tongue-in-cheek one titled "Not Suitable For Kids":
    "THIS GAME CONTAINS MATURE THEMES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE, RANGING FROM SAUCY LANGUAGE, ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF GORE, AND HALF CLOTHED DEMON PEOPLE OF VARYING DEGREES OF ATTRACTIVENESS.
    BY INSTALLING THIS GAME YOU HEREBY AGREE THAT YOU ARE COOL WITH THIS. COOL? COOL."
  • I Was a Teenage Exocolonist features an extensive list of the mature or potentially distressing content it contains accessible from the main or in-game menus. The entry on "Character Death" even includes a full-spoilers enumeration of who dies and whether or not it can be prevented.
  • The Irritating Maze warns that "persons with cardiac disorder and/or pregnancy" should not attempt to play the game, though it doesn't give players actual electric shocks like the Game Show it was based on.
  • The Jet Set Radio series features this example, as street art is a form of expression in the public space that be equally intrusive if done irresponsibly:
    "Graffiti is art. However, graffiti as an act of vandalism is a crime. Every state/province has vandalism laws that apply to graffiti, and local entities such as cities and counties have anti-graffiti ordinances. Violation of these laws can result in a fine, probation and a jail sentence. Sega, this document, and its author do not condone the act of real life vandalism in any form."
  • Interplay's release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring PC game included a content disclaimer in the manual regarding some dated tropes in Tolkien's works. Notably the depiction of wolves, smoking, and the usage of the term "black". The disclaimer mentioned that the game was simply being faithful to the era in which the source material was written when wolves were misunderstood animals, smoking wasn't seen as a harmful addiction, and to describe someone or something as "dark" or "black" simply meant evil as opposed to a racial description.
  • Mafia III has one, explaining its use of Deliberate Values Dissonance:
    "Mafia 3 takes place in a fictionalised version of the American South in 1968. We sought to create an authentic and immersive experience that captures this very turbulent time and place, including depictions of racism. We find the racist beliefs, language, and behaviours of some characters in the game abhorrent, but believe it is vital to include these depictions in order to tell Lincoln Clay's story. Most importantly, we felt that to not include this very real and shameful part of our past would have been offensive to the millions who faced - and still face - bigotry, discrimination, prejudice, and racism in all its forms."
    • Similar disclaimers were added to Mafia: Definitive Edition and the Mafia II remaster, the former being an Assassin's Creed-style "developed by people of different beliefs" disclaimer, and the latter further elaborating the existing legal text in Mafia II with the following to placate sensitive audiences given the shifted cultural zeitgeist in the decade between the beginnings of The New '10s and The New '20s:
      "Mafia II: Definitive Edition presents the game's narrative in its original form from 2010. The game includes culturally sensitive content and themes, and is intended only for mature audiences."
  • Mario Party Superstars is notable for having one before a single minigame. "Tug-o-War", a returning game from the very first Mario Party, is preceded by a screen warning the player not to rotate the controller with their palm - a popular method of completing such minigames in the original game that became notorious for causing damage to the player's hand.
  • Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection opens with a disclaimer that the games contain "some cases of insensitive cultural depictions" that are left untouched for authenticity's sake. This is related to, among other things, the numerous African-American stereotypes in the Netopia arc of Mega Man Battle Network 2, the depiction of NetFrica in Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun and Blue Moon, and the Native American-themed TomahawkMan.EXE who appears in the final two games.
  • Each game in the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 1 features a warning reflecting "content that may be considered outdated" but left intact in order to remain faithful to the original release.
  • Monster Hunter, the first game features a content warning copied wholesale from Resident Evil below, however immediately afterwards, in the US version, it shows that the game is rated T by ESRB (back in the 2000-2010 ESRB had a short-lived practice of labelling the rating inside some games at the beginning).
  • Mushihime-sama asks the player for confirmation with an ominous red "DANGER" screen if they attempt to play Ultra Mode. Its sequel Mushihimesama Futari does the same.
    "Are you prepared to battle sheer despair?" (NO) (BRING IT)
  • The Mystery Case Files series installment Escape From Ravenhearst marked the first time that distribution site Big Fish Games ever felt the need to include such a warning on a game's download page. They advised (in bold, red, underlined letters) that the game was a "deep psychological thriller" which might "reveal deep-seated fears." They've since released other games with similar warnings, including in that same series; however, Big Fish specializes in a lot of lighthearted fare, making these warnings very unusual.
  • NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD has one on its Steam page, and one in-game: the Steam page one is outright sarcastic, while the in-game one is more sincere but still somewhat snarky.
    Steam: NOTE: This is a perfectly wholesome game, containing absolutely no explicit sexual references or expressions nor illegal substances. For real!

    In-Game: ! WARNING !
    This game is set in a place sort of like modern-day Japan but also not. Any resemblance to real places, entities, and persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Do NOT try any of the more extreme or depressing actions.

    Some scenes may have intense flashing, and some can be violent and emotionally painful. Please take a break if it messes with you mentally!

    Before you begin playing, please bear in mind that at the end of the day, this game is a piece of fiction and may not necessarily reflect real life.

    You read this warning properly, right? Promise?
  • NieR: Automata has a more lighthearted example that pops up when you're about to face the Optional Boss of its DLC, warning you that the coming fight may "destroy your sense of immersion" - the bosses are Yosuke Matsuda and Kenichi Sato, the CEOs of Square Enix and Platinum respectively.
  • At the start of A Normal Lost Phone, it warns you that it deals with heavy topics such as homophobia.
  • OFF gives a content warning before you start playing that some scenes may be shocking to anyone who hasn't been warned. This should be your first clue that something might not be right with what you're going to do.
  • OMORI:
    This game contains depictions of depression, anxiety, and suicide, and may not be suitable for all audiences. It also contains bright flashing imagery that may cause discomfort and/or seizures for those with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • Outlast has this message when you start the game:
    Outlast contains intense violence, gore, graphic sexual content, and strong language. Please enjoy.
  • Pokémon GO has a safety warning that displays each time you launch the game: "Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings." This is usually accompanied by a humorous picture of a trainer walking with their cell phone out while a dangerous Pokemon is right in front of them (such as a Gyarados, Gengar, or Steelix). Since the game involves walking around while looking at your phone, the safety warning is definitely needed.
  • Psychonauts 2 opens with the following mental health advisory: "Psychonauts 2 contains artistic interpretations of serious mental conditions including addiction, PTSD, panic attacks, anxiety, and delusions. There are also images that may be upsetting to people with dental phobia. These conditions are usually presented in a light-hearted or even comical manner, but might still be distressing to some players."
  • The classic warning from Resident Evil: "This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore". This warning was first seen in Resident Evil 2 and was subsequently added to the Dual Shock release of the Original Game's Director's Cut (the original DC lacked the warning, as did the Vanilla game). Strong language was added in Resident Evil 4.
  • Silent Hill:
    • "Some parts of this game may be considered violent or cruel", from the series, usually shown over a picture of the protagonist beating the snot out of a monster. (These warnings are not included in the HD re-releases.) Beating the snot out of monsters is rarely the most disturbing, violent, or cruel things about the games.
    • Silent Hill: Origins has a screen which says that parts of the game may be "disturbing". The idea that someone could buy a video game with disturbing images plastered all over the back cover without knowing that it could disturbing is disturbing in and of itself.
    • Silent Hill: Shattered Memories starts with a warning that the game uses psychological profiling to gather information about the player, that the game world changes in response to the player's choices to make it more personally terrifying, and concludes that the game plays you as much as you play it.
    • Silent Hill: The Short Message opens with a warning describing the subject matter (abuse, suicide) and urging those who may not be in the right mindset to contact professionals.
  • Soul Bubbles has an amusing one, warning the player of the absence of orcs, wizards, and soldiers, and assures that "everything will be hunky-dory".
  • Splatterhouse has a unique one for the American localization of the first game:
    The horrifying theme of this game may be inappropriate for young children... and cowards.
  • Skitchin' opens with one of these against engaging in any of its activities; doing so will risk severe injury.
  • Sonic CD Alternative Ending: The game starts with one warning the players about the game containing a scene of suicide (which features Sonic hanging himself from a tree in Ending B and trying to jump into the spike pit in Ending C) and also has an emphasis on dark tones and depression.

    IMPORTANT
    This game contains a scene of suicide. Please do not be influenced by this scene! If you have any mental problems, such as depression, please seek help from somebody you trust. This game also has a heavy influence on dark tones and depression. Please do not play this game unless you're ready. If you are ready, then go ahead and press enter to start the game.

  • Star Soldier R has an unusual warning concerning its length — its longest game mode can be finished in five minutes, and the point of the game is to beat your best score. Lest people complain that It's Short, So It Sucks!, the Wii Shop Channel has a warning (in red text no less) about how short the game is.
  • StepMania has a typical warning not to play the game in a small room, although this announcer pack includes the girl saying, "Who reads this crap anyway?"
  • Stray Gods includes one for events including alcoholism, depression, and suicidal ideations.
  • Tecmo's Deception has this little blurb on the back of the jewel case:
    "WARNING: This game contains satanic references and may be inappropriate for some individuals."
  • The HD Tomb Raider Trilogy Remaster features disclaimers about changes in cultural sensitivity before each included game.
  • Typing of the Dead actually integrates the content warning into the game, by making it one of the paragraphs the player has to type during the boss fight with Strength.
    Warning: This game contains depictions of gore and violence. If you are of 17 years or younger, please play with your eyes closed.
  • Vegetable Game opens with an ominous screen which cryptically states: "WARNING — Do not play Vegetable Game."
  • Warframe: Before initiating the quest "The New War", the game presents a warning that this quest's story features potentially disturbing themes, including depictions of emotional abuse, along with a notice that once the quest is started, you will be locked out of all other game content until it is completed. The player has to manually type "NEWWAR" to confirm that they've acknowledged the disclaimer.
  • When The Darkness Comes begins with a warning, informing players that if they suffer from serious anxiety and depression, they should not play.
  • Wolfenstein: The New Order has a pre-menu disclaimer saying that the depiction of the Crapsack World as run by the Nazis in the Alternate History setting is in no way supportive of their actions, as it goes:
    "Wolfenstein® : The New Order™ is a fictional story set in an alternate universe in the 1960’s. Names, characters, organizations, locations and events are either imaginary or depicted in a fictionalised manner. The story and contents of this game are not intended to and should not be construed in any way to condone, glorify or endorse the beliefs, ideologies, events, actions, persons or behavior of the Nazi regime or to trivialize its war crimes, genocide, and other crimes against humanity."
  • The WWE 2K series shows the same "Please don't try this at home" warning that opens the shows themselves when you boot up the game.
  • Yakuza 0 opens with a message that explains that the game (released in 2015) is set in 1988, and that the cultural attitudes and laws depicted in it are reflective of that period. Most of the re-released/remastered versions of the Yakuza games provide similar warnings explaining the year in which they are set as well as a standard all persons fictitious disclaimer - in this case, this is partially as a content warning, but is more useful for Western players coming late to the series to place the games in time and better understand the context of the game world.
    • Its spinoff series Judgment also includes this. The second instalment, Lost Judgment notably opens with a far more explicit warning than usual that notes that the game's story touches on numerous traumatic real-life phenomena, a first for the Yakuza franchise in that it actually warns about the game's content.
  • Yandere Simulator had a more humorous one for its debug builds for some while, though it was eventually removed for being a bit too narmy.
    "WARNING: This game contains bullying, kidnapping, torture, murder, suicide, graphic violence, partial nudity, kittens, raw sewage, cooked sewage, microwave-ready sewage, true nightmares, eldritch monstrosities, bald assassins, DK Mode, fake tans, Titans, murderous ice fairies, impossibly-strong punches, genocide crusades, spooky scary skeletons, STANDING ON THE EDGE, zombies, vampires, succubi, lewd manga, busty pink-haired schoolgirls, game-breaking bugs, an over-worked programmer, and much worse."

    Visual Novels 
  • Beginning with It Lives In The Woods, the more mature Choices: Stories You Play books open with content warnings (some of them having content warnings at the beginning of certain chapters), usually in the format of "This book/chapter contains [content that necessitates the warning]. Player discretion is advised". Here is a list of the books with content warnings and what the warnings are about:
  • When you launch Doki Doki Literature Club!, the game opens with a warning that it contains disturbing content and is not suitable for children or those not good with such material. It even provides a link to a webpage that elaborates that the game is not what it seems, and contains themes like depression, suicide, self harm, and abuse. It doesn't just go straight to the main menu, either, but instead requires you to press a button to say you understand. The content warning turns out to be a sort-of Bait-and-Switch; it's a genuine content warning, but the game leads you to believe it's only to do with the rather heavy issues the Dysfunction Junction cast of girls are facing, rather than the metafictional existential horror that eventually ensues.
  • ISLAND has this in its initial warning screens:
  • Kokoro No Doki Doki Senpai has a warning about the crude humor and sexual content of the game every time it's booted up, which includes a sped-up voiceover that changes to normal speed towards the end.
  • Parasite In Love 's main page warns for tokophobia (fear of pregnancy) and Body Horror, as well as flashing lights, animated effects, and vivid colors which may hurt players' eyes. The developer set up an option to reduce the animation and transition effects.
  • RE: Prince of Nigeria opens with a warning that it requires that you have prior knowledge of Nigerian scams to some extent and that it's only for those aged 0 and above, as it contains instances of deliberately horrible grammar and spelling, as well as capslock spam. "LIKE THIS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED."
  • Slay the Princess features a warning for occasional flashing lights, as well as disturbing imagery and content. The warning appears both on the game’s official page and as an opener to the game itself.
  • Sound of Drop opens with this upon launching the game.
"Caution: This work contains depictions of excessive violence and grotesque imagery. For those who dislike such content or have a weak heart, please be advised."
  • Before you pursue a romantic route in ValiDate: Struggling Singles In Your Area, its title card warns you of potentially disturbing content such as drugs, NSFW scenes, misogynoir (the discrimination against black women), and conspiracy theories.

    Web Animation 
  • Parodied at the beginning of "Siblings Untitled 01".
    "WARNING! The clip you are about to see is FAKE. All the places, characters, and events are more or less fictitious in their presentation and you are expected to know it never happened. It ain't a biography, people, it's an internet cartoon. Expect nothing but lies. LIES! P.S. You cannot refund time, so if I end up wasting yours, then do us both a favor and get over it. Using levitation! Using levitation! P.S. You cannot refund time, so if I end up wasting yours, then do us both of a favor...then do us both a favor and get over it. Using levitation! Using LEVITATION!...PSYoucannotrefundtimesoifIendupwastingyoursthendousbothafavorandgetoverit Using LEVITATION! LEVITATION! LEVITATION! Using LEVITATION! Ti revo teg dna rovaf a htob su od neht, sruoy gnitsaw pu dne I fi os, emit dnufer tonnac uoy S.P. P.S. You cannot refund time, so if I end up wasting yours, then do us both a favor and get over it. Using levitation! Peeeeeeeee.Eeessssssssss. Yooooouuuuuuu canooooooooott refuuuuuuuuuuuuund tiiiiiiiiiiime soooooo, if Iiiiiiiiiiii eeeeeeennd uuuuuup waaaaaaaaaasting yoooooooooouuuuuuuurs, theeeen doooo uuuusssssss booooooooth a favooooor annnnnnd get ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooveeeeeer iiiiiit."
  • The beginning of AMV Hell 0 (which is made almost entirely of Hentai clips) warns the viewer that the contents should not be viewed by anyone and that they should close their browser window right now.
  • The Helluva Boss pilot has a crudely-drawn disclaimer, apparently drawn by Blitzo, at the beginning warning that the animation is for adults and viewer discretion is advised, in case the kids (and COPPA filter) were fooled by Blitzo's cute look on the thumbnail. Subsequent episodes have a more traditional warning at the beginning, and an inccurate gag warning in the description.
    WARNING:
    The following cartoon contains graphic violence, flashing lights, naughty language, horny humans, horny demons, and is intended for mature audiences.note 
    Viewer discretion is advised!
  • Shape Buddies: Many of the episodes are preceded by content warning screens that warn the viewers of their content, which includes the presence of drugs, death, weapons, etc.
  • RWBY:
    • Rooster Teeth preceded episode 7 of Volume 3 with a warning to the Periphery Demographic of little kids, stating that the show would get darker from here on out. And they weren't kidding: a main character gets shot in the chest by an arrow and whimpers desperately before being burned to ash by the end of the Volume. A second is bisected just a few episodes prior.
    • Volume 8 included 3 episodes, 'Ultimatum', 'Worthy', and 'The Final Word', which had content warning cards displayed before the opening. 'Ultimatum' and 'Worthy' had photosensitivity warnings for flashing lights, while 'The Final Word' had a warning for distressing themes related to death. Additionally, the episode description for 'The Final Word' had the National Suicide Prevention hotline number. This was due to Penny Polendina asking Jaune Arc to end her life after she is already mortally wounded by Cinder Fall so she can't get the Winter Maiden powers and gives it to Winter Schnee instead.
    • Volume 9 included two episodes, 'The Perils of Paper Houses' and 'Tea Amidst Terrible Trouble' which both had content warning cards displayed before the opening. Both episodes had warnings for distressing themes related to death. In the former episode, the Paper Pleasers constantly start disasters in order to "ascend" but are constantly stopped by Jaune Arc and finally suceed at the end of the episode when they break the dam and flood the town and are killed. In the later episode, Ruby Rose is driven to the Despair Event Horizon after being brutally beaten down by Neopolitan using illusions of people from her life that she either failed to save or had a role in their deaths as she tries to convince her to Drink the tea and "ascend". What finally causes her to go through with it however is seeing Little being smashed by Neopolitan's heel as she "ascends". In both cases, it shows characters being Driven to Suicide.
  • The first episode of Go Go Parody Rangers contains the following warning.
    Warning: The following flash cartoon contains coarse language, sexual references, bleeding, retarded stereotypes, stolen human, bad 90's synth music, monsters, orgasming robots and may cause seizures and the death of your childhood memories. Enjoy.
    • The orgasming robots reference refers to how the robots "come" together to make a bigger robot. Lampshaded in a future episode where the later robots don't make orgasm noises, the Red Ranger lampshades that "It's not the same as season one."
  • The Strong Bad Email "Too Cool" ends with an ad for Senor Cardgage's character video (which consists of a close-up of skin folds with a face drawn on them, referred to as "The Family Might/Could"), which contains the following disclaimer, read by Homestar:
    Rated F for Folds. May contain graphic images of vague skin folds, references to Family Might/Coulds, and scenes of strong foldulence.
  • Due to the cute and colourful art style, many of Cas van de Pol's videos are prefaced with the warning NOT "made for kids"!, given that they contain bucketloads of Gorn. This at least partially to stop them appearing on YouTube Kids.
  • The third episode of Lacey Games, Lacey's Petshop starts with a content warning.
    CONTENT WARNING
    This video contains heavy topics and is made for mature audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
CW: Although this video contains no imagery/sounds of animal abuse (as I myself cannot stomach that) it still contains implications of animal abuse/death, light gore/body horror and flashing lights.

    Webcomics 
  • "Venus Envy is Rated WEB-14 and probably isn't suitable for younger viewers or those who find the following things offensive: Homosexuality, Bisexuality, Transsexuality, Jews, Slapstick, Mixed-Religion Marriages, Women in the Workplace, Women in Pants, Plot, Girls' Soccer, or Chickens teaching Hard Science. If you find any of the above offensive, please go here."
  • xkcd has the message "Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors)."
  • Sluggy Freelance has this warning at the start of the "K I T T E N I I" arc:
    The following story contains graphic violence not suitable for anyone. Parental guidance is suggested. Or you can just staple the kid's eyelids shut. That's not suggested, the parental guidance thingy is suggested, but we can't deny that staples are a timesaver.
    • They also had a number of similar labels at the bottom of particularly gory strips during the original "K I T T E N". These started out as fairly straight warning labels and grew increasingly satirical throughout.
  • Referenced and parodied in Least I Could Do, when the main character is asked what he hears when the MythBusters give their famous warning "Don't try what you're about to see at Home." "Ever.". The answer?
    "Do it. Do it at home." "Do it bigger."
  • Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures
  • Brawl in the Family makes sure to warn you, at great length, that its "Nasty" strip contains "excess gore, racism, foul language, public indecency, [and] frightening imagery" before you get to the actual comic. Which it does — in the form of several work-safe Visual Puns.
  • Khaos Komix:
    This is an LGBTWTFBBQ comic about "the gays". It comes with all the trigger warnings and nothing is safe for work. This comic may upset you, anger you, or cause you to become hopelessly addicted to my updates.
  • The footer of El Goonish Shive states that it "is a comic about a group of teenagers who face both real life and bizarre, supernatural situations. It is a comedy mixed with drama and is recommended for audiences thirteen and older."
  • There's an in-story example in Alien Hand Syndrome that may double as "Blind Idiot" Translation. A porn comic has a tiny warning label reading "For exciting adult only!"
  • The Dumbing of Age strip for May 25th, 2016 initially came with a content warning bigger than the strip itself (link is a Wayback Machine archive). It involved a flashback to Becky finding out her mother had attempted suicide.
  • Due to the focus of Forest Hill becoming increasingly about child sexual abuse and getting more explicit, the author has added a warning to the website that the comic should not be read by children without permission from a parent.
  • The Bongcheon-Dong Ghost opens with a warning that "reader discretion is advised for pregnant women, the elderly, and those suffering from serious medical conditions." Not surprising, given the jump-scares...
  • Homestuck:
    • The physical (re)release has the following: "HOMESTUCK is rated T+ for Older Teen and is recommended for ages 16 and up. This volume contains rude words, harlequin abuse, dead cats, plush puppet rumps, shitty anime swords, obscure game mechanics, and incredible silliness."
    • The Homestuck Epilogues has a ridiculously long list of content warnings stylized after those on Archive of Our Own, including warnings about serious things such as graphic violence and dubious consent, kind-of-serious but not inherently Not Safe for Work topics such as gender transition and political rebellion, and silly warnings such as clowns and gerrymandering. Basically, if someone has the ability to feel negative emotions in response to reading a part of the story, it's on the list. Andrew Hussie knew how volatile the Homestuck fanbase was and that no matter what he wrote, someone would get upset over it, so he took no chances.
  • The Manor's Prize: The initial page of the website is a content warning. But beyond that, every page has the warning "This comic may contain adult content and is intended for readers 18 and up" in the bottom right corner.
  • The very first page of Glitter and Guilt makes it abundantly clear that, despite seeming like a conventional Magical Girl adventure, it is definitely not something to show to a kid.
    WARNING
    Glitter and Guilt is intended for an adult audience.
    This comic contains strong language, graphic violence, and sexual scenes and themes.
    Lovely: Reader discretion is advised!
  • 180 Angel: Multiple episodes in Season 2 have a warning that the comic is meant for ages 14 and up, to prevent the author from having to mark it as adults only. In addition, certain episodes have trigger warnings.

    Web Original 
  • This Chromagic post contains a parody of this at the very start.
  • SF Debris threw one of these into his review of the Voyager episode "Elogim", mainly to warn viewers that he's going to be using a lot of profanity to describe how terrible the episode is.
  • Markiplier's Brutal Doom Let's Play has this at the start of the video. "Warning: this video contains scenes of extreme violence WHICH IS AWESOME!!!"
  • Dragon Ball Abridged:
    • Team Four Star parodies content warnings on their bloopers or alternate ideas videos. Most notably, the first one opens with one of the members warning that the video will contain strong language not suitable for minors. He then adds "So if you're under the age of 18 and have never heard the word "fuck" before... well, you have now!"
    • In episode 54, Cell uses this trope as a Pre-Mortem One-Liner before he performs a Neck Snap on a newscaster.
  • The Cinema Snob opened his review of Gross Out (a movie made to be as disgusting and offensive as humanly possible) by warning the viewer to turn the episode off immediately. He gave this warning for good reason.
  • Oddity Archive:
    • Ben Minnotte warns male viewers with girlfriends on the episode "American EXXXtacy (and Other C-Band Nastiness)" not to watch it, before noting that his viewers don't have girlfriends and saying there will be eye candy to female viewers.
    • Ben issues a more serious one at the beginning of the "Protect and Survive" episode due to its discussion of nuclear war and its use of Gallows Humor. Warnings are also occasionally inserted into the middle of episodes to advise viewers with sensitivities to certain topics to skip a particular segment.
    • Similarly, during the Oddity Archive episode devoted to Prehistoric Television (that is, pre-1948 television broadcasts), there are three specific warnings: A spoken warning shortly at the beginning of the show, and a second text warning and corresponding spoken warning just before the segment in question. The content Ben is warning about is clips from the output of the Nazi Paul-Nipkow-Sender, which, regrettably, is the ONLY note  extant television footage from before roughly 1948. note  He notes that it was a tough decision to actually use the footage, as it was almost uniformly abhorrent Nazi propaganda, but that as a historical document some of it had to be aired as representative.
  • The Rooster Teeth show Immersion had a content warning before some of their more dangerous experiments. They were serious, although some ended in a joke.
    Jack: And you would be forever known as the person who died trying to imitate something from the internet. Don't Try This at Home.
  • The DEATH BATTLE! between Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black opens with the following disclaimer (which may or may not have been inspired by the one from South Park):
    "The following is made for satirical, parody, and entertainment purposes. All characters and events, even those based on real people, are fictional. This is meant to be enjoyed and not promote direspect. The opinions expressed in this program do not reflect those of Revision3 or ScrewAttack Entertainment LLC. The following program contains crude language and jokes. Due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone who may take an offense to anything."
  • Several YouTube Poop collabs immediately start with this trope, warning viewers that some of the entries contain flashing colors and ear-rape (and occasionally cartoon horses).
  • Several reviews by TheNSCL feature these, though they do seem a bit strict at times. For example, the One-Punch Man review opens on a large 18+ advisory for violence, despite the show itself carrying a TV-PG rating.
  • One Youtuber, Retro Challenge Gamer, even puts up the actual ESRB rating logos for any games with a T rating or higher as a warning to potentially family unfriendly content contained within the video.
  • Cinematic Excrement's videos used to begin with this warning:
    "Warning: The following video may contain language that some people may find crude, vulgar, or objectionable. The author makes no apologies for this. In fact, he is quite proud of it. This video is intended for mature audiences only. If you are uptight, puritanical, easily offended, or lacking a sense of humor, please stop reading and leave the Internet. Now."
  • Parodied in this walkthrough for Don Doko Don:
    Don Doko Don is rated "C" for "Cow King." It contains scenes of giant pumpkins and chef bears getting hit with hammers. Player discretion is advised.
  • Jonathan Pie gets one on this environmentally-themed video.
    CAUTION! This video contains explicit language and dangerous doses of truth!
  • While Cinema Wins is usually an all-ages channel that'll censor swearing, there is no getting around some of the more violent content in certain movies, so the videos for such movies will open with a warning about the violence.
  • CinemaSins opened their Basic Instinct and Showgirls videos with warnings about the sexual content in both films.
  • The Mysterious Mr. Enter: For the Animated Atrocities series, reviews for episodes that contain graphic or psychologically messed-up content would open with a British voice announcing "Some viewers may find this disturbing, viewer discretion is advised."
    • The review for "Ren Seeks Help" has a more severe warning, which really sells how messed up the episode is.
    Announcer: Some viewers may find this disturbing.
    Mr. Enter: Stop! Right..."some viewers". I want you all to listen to me very carefully. First of all, if you don't know what a placenta is, you're too young to watch the review of this episode. As for the episode itself, I don't think that I'm old enough to watch the actual episode. But, here we are.
  • Aside from the usual "Spoilers Ahead" in every Wisecrack Edition video, Jared did a particular trigger warning in The Philosophy of Attack on Titan, stating that while they would be analyzing the anime through the intellectual lens of infamous Nazi jurist and political theorist Carl Schmitt, neither the anime, nor the various collaborators of Wisecrack condone Carl Schmitt's war crimes and fascist ideology, flat-out referring to him as "a piece of shit," and simply seeing the anime as a hypothetical to his political philosophy.
  • LOCAL58 has a video titled "Show For Children", which is a grim and nihilistic parody of one of the more macabre '30s cartoons. The entirety of the video's description on YouTube is "Not For Children", quite possibly Sincerity Mode to make it clear to parents who may have visited the video on the basis of the title alone that the video is not kid-friendly.
  • Episode 2 of Missing Reel, "Zombies!", starts with one:
    The following episode of Missing Reel contains graphic images from horror films that are realistic and may disturb sensitive viewers. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!
  • The Warrior Cats Multi-Animator Project "The Five Giants" starts with a warning stating that "The following video contains animal violence, flashing imagery, mild usage of explicit language, and spoilers for Erin Hunter's Warrior Cats that may not be suitable for some audiences."
  • Parodied in "Secret Missing Episodes" made by Barney Bunch members by having the requirement be that the viewer must be a ridiculous age or have done some unrealistic accomplishment.
  • Schaffrillas Productions' review of Frozen II opens with him explaining that the video is not intended for children. Since the review came in the wake of YouTube's infamous COPPA policies, he may have feared that his videos would end up lumped in with kid-friendly material, so it was very much justified.
  • Parodied in UrinatingTree's "A Legacy of Failure" series, whose descriptions include a warning that the videos may cause pain for the fans of the subject team, or happiness for fans of their rivals.
  • The Lioden storyline "Civil War" had a content warning added in 2018 after player backlash over how unexpectedly dark and disturbing the content in it (attempted Villainous Incest of a father on his unwilling daughter, Domestic Abuse ending in murder, graphic Demonic Possession and Lion Sacrifice) was, especially for a Virtual Pet site.
  • Parodied to an extent. A video made by "The Mechanic Shark Channel" features a disclaimer, which features a long string of Chinese and English texts of China's forbidden topic, including Winnie the Pooh's name on it.
  • Shudder's The Last Drive-In starring Joe Bob Briggs (basically a new media version of his old show MonsterVision), decided for his Season 2, Week 6 episode to show the notorious exploitation film Cannibal Holocaust. Shudder put up a special disclaimer for content, preceded by one penned by Briggs himself that read:
    "A Message from Joe Bob Briggs:
    As you will see, there is a viewer warning before this next movie. I don't think that's enough, so here's another one.

    IF ANIMAL CRUELTY BOTHERS YOU, YOU SHOULDN'T WATCH THIS MOVIE. I personally think that anybody who kicks a dog should get the death penalty, so it bothers me, too.

    The reason we're showing it is that it has a place in horror history — it's the most famous example of a short-lived Italian genre that I call the Cannibal Mock Doc, and the distributors at the time believed that the on-screen animal deaths boosted box office in Asia. The only good thing about these scenes is that they've become so notorious that no filmmaker could get away with them today.

    You won't be kicked out of the Mutant Family if you choose to watch just our commentary by itself later."
  • Atop the Fourth Wall:
    • Some reviews (such as the one for Youngblood (Image Comics) #10) have one up front due to the nature of the events of the story, (including in the aforementioned Youngblood review, Chapel's rather violent suicide). While he won't show the actual images, he will rant about them and warn viewers who might be triggered to skip the bits.
    • Compilation of his earlier reviews have opened with one, due to expressing sentiments he no longer had (including fan outrage and attacking creators) and the appearance of people he's disowned due to #ChangeTheChannel (namely Brad Jones and Doug Walker, as well as Noah Antwiler).
  • Game Grumps:
    • Episode 10 of Trauma Center: Second Opinion had an annotation on the video warning about the extensive discussion of suicide, due to the plot focusing on Derek treating a suicidal patient. The annotation is now gone, but the warning is still in the description.
    • One of their Disney Princess episodes added a content warning for "dialogue about potentially sensitive sexual circumstances" due to their jokes about the underage player character being molested by her therapist.
    • The episode of Doki Doki Literature Club! that features the Wham Shot of Sayori's hanging has a warning at the start of the video about "disturbing stuff." This warning is also present in their "best of" compilations for the playthrough.
    • Arin's solo playthrough of Superliminal has a warning at the start that the game may trigger those with visual sensitivity issues due to the warped perspective gimmick. At one particular timecode, it gives another warning since the door flickers rapidly due to Arin placing a soda on the button incorrectly.
  • The Nostalgia Critic's review of Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer includes a warning at the start of the video about the Epileptic Flashing Lights in Critic's song.
  • Parodied at the beginning of Undertale the Musical's bloopers video, which takes a page out of Dragon Ball Z Abridged's book:
    Alex: The following blooper reel contains adults using adult language. If you're under 18, and haven't heard the word "fuck", you have now.
  • cs188's later YouTube Poop videos feature such a warning Played for Laughs, accompanied by a sentence-mixed Bruno Mars.
    PARENTAL ASSVISORY: TOILET CONTENT
    Bruno Mars: Just believe me, don't watch!
  • StephenPlays: Every Stephen & Friends video opens with a warning that Stephen & Friends contains "adulty language and stuff".
  • Some of Brizzy Voices's videos has a warning at the start stating along the lines of "This video is not appropriate for children" (and in the case of her playthrough for Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp, "This game is not appropriate for children"), since she also does voice impressions of child-friendly characters, but some of them end up saying inappropriate lines (Mostly as Official Fan-Submitted Content of which lines a character should say in the said videos), considering this was after the aforementioned infamous COPPA policies wake above.
  • Each episode of YidLife Crisis starts with a warning: The following contains references to adult situations and coarse language. In Yiddish. Then there's a funny line or image, which changes with each episode.
  • When MrBallen relates a particularly gruesome or harrowing story, he'll at minimum put a "*MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY*" disclaimer in the title, and will also usually include similar disclaimers in the video description and in a title card after his intro, along with giving a specific verbal warning about the intense nature of the story at the very beginning of the video.
  • Dimension 20 included a content warning on an episode of The Unsleeping City: Chapter 2 because of 'clowns in the context of supernatural horror'. A later season, the Horror-Fairy Tale mash up Neverafter, lists all content warnings in the description of each episode.
  • Civvie 11:
    • Displayed in the intro to his Pro Postal videos:
      This one gets pretty weird and you should know going in that neither Civvie nor the United States Department of Special Corrections advocates any of the actions contained in this video of some asshole paying a video game
    • The Halloween video on the Game Mod Eternal Damnation replaces it with a special warning due to the Darker and Edgier nature of the mod.
      Okay so this is actually more violent and fucked up than you're used to for a ''Postal'' episode. Don't believe me? Well, you ought to since it talks about zombies, gore, sexual assault, extreme and frankly sickening violence, and neither Civvie nor the Department of Special Corrections condones any of the actions depicted here because, as always, this is just some asshole playing a video game and you need to chill. Please Spook Responsibly.
    • The deliberately offensive Corkscrew Rules also gets a special warning:
      This one is even worse. This is probably the most offensive material you will see on this show. It includes senseless violence (naturally) and also pretty awful sexual content, racial and homophobic slurs, and any number of other things not endorsed by Civvie or the Department of Special Corrections. You've been warned.
    • He has another, far more serious one in Duke Nukem Forever when he gets to the Hive, a level focusing on women being impregnated and killed by alien spawn.
      CONTENT WARNING: TURN BACK NOW. JESUS CHRIST WHY IS THIS IN A VIDEO GAME. SKIP TO 34:07 TO AVOID THIS, YOU WON'T MISS OUT ON ANYTHING IMPORTANT I PROMISE.
    • Civvie puts up an epilepsy warning when he's about to start the cyberspace level in Tekwar. It's very warranted since the level is almost physically painful to look at, whether you have it or not.
  • The Kill Count:
    • James has edited in a tone to alert viewers with seizure issues when scenes with flashing lights that may cause seizures begin and end. [REC] and Quarantine (2008) have so many flashing lights that he couldn't keep putting the tone in the videos, so he simply advised photosensitive viewers to skip them altogether.
    • James has had to make some Kill Counts with censored film footage due to the graphic nature making his videos instant targets for demonetization. However, he really doesn't like to do this, and will usually release an explicit version alongside the censored one if he gets a sponsor deal to pay for it.
    • In the intro for the video of President's Day, he noted that he was releasing a video about a Serial Killer in a high school not long after the Parkland shooting (the video was planned months in advance) and warned viewers to turn it off if they couldn't handle it so soon.
    • As of The Invisible Man (2020), self-harm warnings are included.
    • James warned viewers of a potentially disturbing scene in his Treevenge video, in which a baby was added to the count. He actually warned for it twice, once at the beginning to say there was a particularly disturbing scene near the end, and again with more clarification a few moments before the actual scene.

    Websites 
  • Archive of Our Own has four primary content warning flags: "Graphic depictions of violence", "Rape/non-con", "Major character death", and "Underage". Authors can also choose to select "None of these warnings apply", indicating the story has no major content warnings, or "Choose not to use Archive warnings", indicating that they have chosen not to forewarn readers as to the content. Additional content warnings may also be provided in the tags.
  • A few Brain POP movies have warnings at the beginning for sensitive content such as the 9/11 movie (for discussions on The War on Terror) and the Harvey Milk movie (for discussions about homophobia).
  • The Editing Room's script for Alpha (2018) has a comical one in the Alt Text:
    The script you are about to enjoy was written by an author who is weeks away from getting a puppy, and may include scenes of cooing, squeeing, and gushy language. Reader discretion is advised.
  • TV Tropes implemented its own content warnings after The Google Incident, placing potentially NSFG (Not Safe For Google) content behind a curtain warning users that "you are going into a section of the wiki that may be less family friendly" and requiring them to manually click "yes" to see the page. These pages had advertisements provided by a different ad server. These warnings were removed after The Second Google Incident, when The Content Policy was implemented and the most NSFW trope and work pages were deleted.
  • Wikipedia is an interesting case - its policy does not allow for content, trigger or spoiler warnings to be placed on articles note  but instead the site has one big all-encompassing content disclaimer that basically says "you might not like stuff you see on Wikipedia and we won't do anything about that, this is your final and only warning, read at your own risk".

    Western Animation 
  • When Action League NOW! had its own short-lived spin-off, it had an example that was Played for Laughs at the beginning of the episode, "In the Whine of Fire":
    Narrator: "Warning! The following very special Action League Now special contains scenes of Action Mayhem (AMH), Action Love (ALV), and Action Action (AA). It may be too intense for older viewers. Oh, and did we mention, somebody's naked (NKD) for the whole show?"
  • The season 2 finale of Amphibia, "True Colors" was delayed for three weeks because S&P allowed a 13-year-old girl getting impaled onscreen while her friends helplessly look on until Disney Channel higher-ups reneged on that decision less than half a day before the planned airing, as viewership for channel was trending younger at the time. Executives considered editing the scene before rescheduling it, but eventually decided to do four things instead: have the TV airing be in the evening instead of the show's usual morning timeslot, give it a TV-Y7-FV rating, add a written disclaimer at the start (read aloud by Sprig's voice actor) warning viewers that the episode will have intense final scenes that may scare younger fans of the show, and include an early reveal of the third season's new Title Sequence as The Stinger to make it clear that Marcy was Only Mostly Dead, and secretly being kept on life support in a People Jar by King Andrias.
    This episode has some intense final scenes. It might be scary for younger viewers. (cue opening scene)
  • Batman Beyond plays the trope for laughs in a scene with Terry's Annoying Younger Sibling, Matt McGinnis.
    TV announcer: We'd like to warn our viewers that the following footage may be disturbing to young children.
    Matt: Turn it up!
  • Beavis and Butt-Head had not one but two different Content Warnings during its run. Apparently the first one wasn't quite serious enough, so they changed it up a bit without sacrificing the funny:
    • Beavis and Butt-head are not real. They are stupid cartoon people completely made up by this Texas guy who we hardly even know. Beavis and Butt-Head are dumb, crude, thoughtless, ugly, sexist, self-destructive fools. But for some reason the little wiener heads make us laugh.
    • Beavis and Butt-head are not role models. They're not even human. They're cartoons. Some of the things they do would cause a person to get hurt, expelled, arrested, possibly deported. To put it another way, Don't Try This at Home.
    • They even had to put in content warnings during the episodes "Stewart's House" (the gas stove-sniffing one) and "Way Down Mexico Way" (the drug-filled condom-swallowing one)... but not even that saved those episodes from being removed from circulation before returning to the airwaves with edits.
  • The Boondocks occasionally features a disclaimer, most notably before its episode focusing on closeted rapper Gangstalicious, assuring its audience that no, Gangstalicious was not based on any real artists, no, not even the one you're thinking of, and we'd really prefer to avoid the requisite hate mail and death threats, thank you.
  • Celebrity Deathmatch had this warning appear before every episode: "The program you are about to witness is a work of total fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the creators' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental. This program does not reflect the views or opinions of any actual person portrayed herein. ...Anyway, IT'S JUST CLAY!"
  • Clerks: The Animated Series has some great ones, especially when the narrator (Kevin Michael Richardson) wonders aloud "Is anyone still watching after all that?" or talks about how the first episode is supposedly awful: "Tune in next week for a much better episode! For now, though — courage."
  • Code Monkeys:
    • The series contains a different gag disclaimer at the beginning of each episode, such as this one from "Super Prison Breakout":
    This Show...
    A) Contains content that may not be suitable for all audiences.
    B) Might use the word (beep) a lot.
    C) Rocks.
    Viewer Discretion is advised.
  • The Fairly OddParents!: Parodied in "Fly Boy", where Timmy's parents won't let him watch a horror movie rated FTTFTT: Far Too Terrifying For Timmy Turner.
  • Family Guy
    • When aired on Freeform, there's a custom content warning that states, "THIS SHOW IS ABOUT A FAMILY BUT SUPER AWKWARD TO WATCH WITH YOUR FAMILY." While Freeform has begun to move from its origins as a family channel, it is still technically considered (partly due to its regular showings of animated Disney and Pixar films and its popular "31 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas" events) a show that makes sense to have the channel display a warning. FXX airs it with no warning, probably because the show is tame compared to other shows on that network.
    • The first seven volumes of the North American DVDs have a warning shown right after the "views expressed" disclaimer, shown on the same black background, which reads, "The commentary on this disc contains adult language and subject matter which may not be suitable for persons under 18."
    • Parodied in the episode "Mind Over Murder", at the beginning of Homicide: Life on Sesame Street: "This show contains adult content and is brought to you by the letter H."
  • Futurama:
    • The DVDs have content and copyright warnings in several languages, including alien script.
    • On Comedy Central, season five airs with a content warning bumper and a "viewer discretion advised" voiceover from any of various characters; those episodes are cut from direct-to-video films with more mature content which garnered TV-14 ratings, rather than Futurama's usual TV-PG. "Proposition Infinity", an allegorical representation of the conflict over homosexual marriage at the time of its debut, is also rated TV-14 and preceeded with the same type of warning.
    • In "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television," a scene of Bender setting himself on fire was given the disclaimer "Don't try this, kids at home", while Bender himself said "Try this, kids at home!" Later, when Dwight says that watching TV gave him the idea to rob Bender, there's a Futurama screen with Bender announcing: "You're watching Futurama, the show that does not advocate the cool crime of robbery!"
  • Parodied by one of the Couch Gags in Garfield and Friends:
    Garfield: This program is "K" rated: no adults unless accompanied by a kid.
  • Hazbin Hotel
    • While the pilot, "That's Entertainment", only has the content warning in its description ("Be warned, this project is aimed at older audiences. Badwords and Innuendo galore!!") to deter children, the beginning of its music video "ADDICT" begins with a flat-out content warning for the same purpose:
      WARNING
      This video contains graphic language, adult content, flashing lights, depictions of sexual assault, abuse, and addiction.
      This content is intended for mature audiences only (18+)
      Viewer discretion advised.
    • The episode "Masquerade" is preceded by a warning for its graphic depiction of sexual assault, as it really delves into Angel Dust's abusive relationship with Valentino. Notably, it's the only episode to have a Prime Video rating of 18+ instead of 16+ like every other.
  • High Guardian Spice has a content warning along the lines of "the following show contains mature themes and is intended for mature audiences; viewer discretion is advised" preceding each episode. This raised some eyebrows among viewers, as not only does this result in some extreme Art-Style Dissonance, the "mature content" featured isn't even that shocking (amounting to a few curse words and some occasional, very mild scenes of bloodshed). Unsurprisingly, it later came to light this was part of Crunchyroll's attempts to Avoid the Dreaded G Rating.
  • In 1997, when the TV ratings were introduced, Nickelodeon put a special content warning at the beginning of KaBlam!, as it was the first Nicktoon to be given a TV-Y7 rating note :
    Nickelodeon announcer: Sometimes on KaBlam!, things go Kablam!, And that's why it's rated Y7 (cue to Henry holding up a (heavy) TV-Y7 logo)
  • The Lion Guard episode "Long Live the Queen" starts with a warning that the episode deals with themes related to the circle of life, as Rani has to become the new queen of her pride after her grandmother passes away.
  • The Phineas and Ferb episode "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" opens with one, as a parody of the Frankenstein example above.
  • The DVD sets of Ren & Stimpy carry no Nickelodeon branding whatsoever, and actually have warnings (on the packaging and preceding the menus) for "explicit content", including "adult situations and language". Understandable for "The Lost Episodes", not so much for the original show, even with how edgy and scary it can be.
  • Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius, a spinoff of FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, is rated "HMG: Humble Media Genius - Humor featuring cats, dogs, mice, selfies and some cheese. Strong media literacy throughout."
  • The Simpsons:
    • The first few Treehouse of Horror Halloween Episodes had these. The first one was a direct parody of the Frankenstein warning. This was brought back for Season 29’s “Treehouse” special before the especially disturbing “Mmm…Homer” segment.
    • Parodied In-Universe when an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon warned about its violent content — after the cartoon ended.
      VIEWER ADVISORY: The preceding program contained scenes of extreme violence and should not have been viewed by young children.
    • In the episode "Jaws Wired Shut", a film is rated PG-13 for "brief rudeness, adult explosions, and scenes with Garry Shandling".
  • South Park gives us the following: "All characters and events in this show — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated...poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone." (not that it stops anyone from watching it, though.)
    • In the Pandemic Special, the words "its content" are naturally replaced with "COVID-19".
    • In the Vaccination Special, the normal disclaimer is replaced with a parody of the Disney+ disclaimer in front of The Muppet Show, explaining that the episode contains "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures", but they choose to "acknowledge its harmful impact" instead of just removing the offensive content in order to create a "more inclusive future". It ends by stating that, like The Muppet Show, it should not be watched by anyone.
    • Canadian broadcasts have had content warnings saying that the show "deals with mature humour" and warning of "material and language". Later, The Comedy Network updated the warning to warn of "material including language and violence". Later, the show moved to Much, who later added a mention of nudity to the warning. Then, in March 2023, a mention of sexuality was added (before the word "nudity"). Also, the episode "Back to the Cold War" was aired with a special warning that mentioned "current events". Despite this, the channel skipped this episode in reruns.
  • When Total Drama and 6teen first started airing on Cartoon Network they had a warning message before each episode that stated they were rated TV-PG (at the time, shows with that rating usually aired on Adult Swim). As TV-PG programming became more common on CN, the warnings were dropped. Canadian airings of Total Drama used the following built-in warning or some variation of it, read by Chris: "This episode of Total Drama contains scenes of extreme stunts performed by animated teens. Do not try any of what you see here at home. Seriously, you could get really messed up."

    Other 
  • The Anime Boston Fan Convention has an extended warning segment before the AMV contest with clips from anime series showing what the warning represents, usually humorously. One year, the Fanservice warning featured a clip from Golden Boy and a character in a Stripperiffic costume that had the audience rolling on the floor laughing.
  • For many years the British Columbia Film Classification Office used a cougar to signify films that were not for kids. It became so beloved that even after the cougar was retired in 1997 in favor of a generic "18A" rating, the BCFCO resurrected it in The New '10s to classify indie films that would have gotten an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. Platypus Comix has the whole story. You can also check out the BCFCO's official page on the "Restricted Cougar".
  • Back in 1999, when Animax Latin America was still called Locomotion, the series would start with a content warning featuring Playmobil-like figures doing a slapstick version of what the warning was about. Shortly before the name change, the figures were replaced with actual footage from anime series (for example, Neon Genesis Evangelion for violence or Agent Aika for sexual content) representing the warning.
  • In the early days of the UK's Channel 4, programmes of a sexual nature were marked with a 'red triangle'. This was dropped after realizing that this essentially marked out the good bits for everyone to find.
  • Certain channels in Britain may have a content warning prior to a show with mature content such as nudity or violence. If the show is really bad about it or has at least one scene that cranks it up there will be a content warning after the commercial break.
  • For many years Mexican TV networks would superimpose a capital "A" (for "adultos") in the corner of the screen on more mature shows.
  • Prior to 2020, New Zealand television originally has G, PGR and AO ratings. Here's the Adults Only warning from 1999, compared to today which now has G, PG, M, 16 and 18 ratings.
  • While it is very rare, if NBC feels the need to preface its shows with such a warning, it does so with a blood-red splash-screen and the deep-voiced NBC announcer reading the caption, "Due to violent content, viewer discretion advised." If it is especially violent (for example, every episode of Hannibal), a tiny "Viewer Discretion Advised" caption pops up on the bottom of the screen at the start of each and every act.
  • Fox has long had a tendency to air many of the more risqué shows on American broadcast TV. As a result, much of its programming is rated TV-14 and up and has a content warning bumper attached to the beginning of each broadcast.
  • PBS has its own generic warning screen which mainly appears on British programs (particularly Call the Midwife, with the exception of the Christmas specials), though POV has used a silent (read: without voiceover) variant before at least one episode:
    British Announcer: The following program contains mature content which may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
  • In Argentina (and some other South American countries), any program (or block of programs) meant for older audiences would typically begin with this (or a variation of it):
    "A partir de este momento / Aquí finaliza el horario de protección al menor. La permanencia de los niños frente al televisor queda la exclusiva / sola responsibilidad de los (señores) padres."note 
  • At least in the early '90s, the child protection bumpers would feature familiar characters such as The Simpsons and the cast of Sesame Street essentially telling younger viewers to go to bed.
  • It's not uncommon to see posts on social networking sites with frightening subject matter, such as rape, abuse, or murder, be prefaced with either CW ("content warning") or TW ("trigger warning").
  • When they were a pay cable channel, Disney Channel had this before any PG-13 films and anything that could potentially frighten young children. They notably ran it in front of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (see the Film tab), almost entirely on the strength of the infamous boat scene (which was included in its near-entirety in Disney's showings) - other than that, the rest of the film is rather tame.
  • If Disney Junior is running a movie or special that has scenes that could potentially scare or upset their target audience, they will precede it with a warning which has the channel's narrator stating that "some scenes[...] may be a little bit scary for some of our younger Disney Junior viewers" and recommending that said viewers watch with a grownup, closing with a transition of pixie dust into the feature program. Examples of programs that have done this include certain Disney Animated Canon or Pixar films, and Toy Story of Terror.
  • French television used to warn viewers about possibly-inappropriate content with a white square in the corner of the screen. These days a circle with the minimum age is used instead.
  • In Australia, a disclaimer is often used to warn Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers that the show or film contains names, voices and images of dead people. This is because of their belief that such is considered Speak Ill of the Dead.
  • When a news broadcast interrupts a children's program, it's common for the anchors or announcer to advise the children watching to ask their parents to come in the room to watch with them. Here's an example from a Fox station and another from a ABC News Special Report on Hurricane Charley. Conversely, it's also not unheard of for news anchors to tell caretakers of young children to usher the little ones out of the room before beginning to deliver potentially upsetting news about favorite children's entertainment characters or personalities.
  • MyNetworkTV and The CW commonly precede syndicated broadcasts of Seth MacFarlane's cartoons like Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show with a viewer discretion advisory reminding that the program may be unsuitable for children under 14, which can be seen here.
  • Back when Nick Jr. had the adult-oriented NickMom block, it would air a notice after the Nick Jr. sign-off that NickMom was meant to entertain moms without the kids, since "some of those funny parts about being a mom... are not kid friendly." Earlier NickMom sign-ons didn't have such a warning, so this was added in response to early complaints from parents that their kids witnessed inappropriate and child-mocking content on the NickMom block, especially on the West Coast where the block aired earlier in the day due to operating only on the East Coast feed until February 2013.
  • Starting in the late-2010s/early-2020s, streaming services and TV channels started to show disclaimers before or after media with examples of Values Dissonance, explaining how they reflect the culture of the period they were made.
  • Long story short (and long story would be impossible without going into politics, let alone as of May 2022 - an ongoing military conflict) - in March 2022 Russia banned Facebook and Instagram and put Meta Platforms, Inc (the owner of both platforms) in their list of "extremist organizations", which made it illegal to demonstrate their symbols. Sure enough, like every modern television in the world, Russian television took their time maintaining and promoting their social media presence, so lots and lots of archive footage had referenced Facebook and Instagram and had promoted their own pages and accounts. So in 2022 the common element of a Russian broadcast (old or new, new domestic programming obviously avoid mentioning Facebook altogether, but sometimes they can't control it, for example, live broadcast of a foreign football match with advertisement banners on arena) is a blanket content warning reminding viewers that Meta Inc., the owner of Facebook and Instagram, was deemed an extremist organization, their activities in Russia were banned, and in case of archive programming - that every social media page possibly mentioned during broadcast is no longer maintained.
  • The Knowledge Network in Canada, which airs all its programming unedited and uncut, has used a series of humorous disclaimers using comedic videos to explain what the warning is for (e.g. a prarie dog hiding in its burrow for content unsuitable for younger children, or a swear jar being filled with coins for content with coarse language).
  • Both Disney Channel and Disney XD started in the late 2010s using a blanket warning that anything rated TV-PG is a "general audience program".note  This disclaimer has been used for shows that originally premiered on Disney+ such as High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, as well as movie presentations such as Corpse Bride.
  • [adult swim] (and later Toonami) has a general disclaimer stating that it features "content that some viewers may not find suitable", meaning not only children but also more sensitive older viewers. For particularly bloody episodes, it adds, "Just in case that last disclaimer wasn't enough, this episode contains extreme violence. We would rather run this than cut the violence from the episode because we are American Cowboys." They started doing this after the particularly graphic Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex episode "Jungle Cruise". The specified age in the warning has changed over time. Initially, when AS launched in 2001, the warning specified that its programs are intended only for people over 18. In 2003, it was changed to 14 (shows that aired on the block around this time carried either TV-PG or TV-14 ratings), and then 17 sometime around 2007, before they dropped the age as a whole sometime the next year.
    • Adult Swim now runs a warning before episodes depicting suicide (such as the "Analyze Piss" episode of Rick and Morty; more details here,) along with displaying the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline after the episode.
  • When TNN/Spike TV had its short-lived adult animation block (including Gary the Rat, Stripperella and Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"), a fake rating screen would come up before the show with the announcement, "The following program is rated CFFA: Cartoons for f(bleep)kin' adults. Hide the kids."

Alternative Title(s): Viewer Discretion Advised, Content Warning

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cs188

cs188's later YouTube Poop videos feature content warnings Played for Laughs, accompanied by a sentence-mixed Bruno Mars.

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