"Mature Rating" is a term used to denote that a work is suitable for a mature audience, usually ranging from the age of 15, to 18 or 21, because the impact of the elements, such as violence or sexual content, are strong.
Mature ratings can be either advisory, indicating that anyone can see works with the classification, though they are not recommended for younger audiences, or restricted, meaning that the person must be a certain age to access works given a Mature rating. For the latter, the Mature rating may be relaxed to allow younger audiences to access the work, provided that they are accompanied by a parent or guardian of legal age, usually set at 18 years or above. Age restrictions usually only apply to the sale of works on DVDs and home media, on websites, or at movie theater screenings, as it is impossible to prevent underage audiences from seeing a film or accessing a video game unaccompanied in their house.
When a rating indicates a mature audience, the initial often used is the letter M.
If you are looking for a specific Mature rating, you may be looking for:
- Entertainment Software Rating Board (Mature 17+, indicating that the video game is suitable for persons 17 and above)
- Media Classifications, for other mature ratings.
Another equivalent term used is Not Safe for Work (NSFW), a term self-applied by an individual or organization, rather than given by a classification board.
