ClearAge writes parent notes so you can decide what your family watches. This page explains what a guide is, and what it is not.
A guide is an opinion
A ClearAge age is our team’s view of the youngest age at which we would watch that film with a parent in the room.
It is not a recommendation.
It is not a legal rating.
It is not medical advice.
It is not a promise that a child of that age should watch the film, or that they should watch it alone.
The official label on a film page — such as PG or R — comes from a classification body, or from the data shown on the page. ClearAge does not issue that label. We are not a studio, a streaming service, or a ratings board.
Our age can be younger or older than that official label. That is part of why ClearAge exists. The label is not always the age at which we would watch the film with a parent.
What we look at
Our reviews are based on one or more versions of one film. A person checks each guide before it is published.
On a published guide you will usually see:
- A ClearAge age: our opinion of the youngest age we would watch it with a parent
- The official label, kept separate from our age
- Short notes on what parents usually ask about, such as violence, scary moments, language, sex and nudity, and drugs or alcohol
- A score from 0 to 5 next to those notes
The words in a guide are written by ClearAge. We do not present another organisation’s opinion as ours.
What the scores mean
- 0 — We did not note it in this version.
- 1 — Very mild.
- 2 — Mild.
- 3 — Moderate.
- 4 — Strong.
- 5 — High impact.
A higher score usually means something happens more often, in more detail, or in a more realistic way. Something brief, implied, or only talked about usually scores lower.
A cartoon is not automatically milder. It can still be frightening, and a fight is still a fight. Scary moments are noted separately from violence. A good message does not cancel a concern.
How we set the age
The ClearAge age is the youngest age at which our team would watch the film with a parent. That is our opinion. It is not a recommendation to show the film to a child of that age.
It can be younger or older than the official label.
- Younger means we would watch it with a parent sooner than the label suggests.
- Older means we would wait.
The guide explains why, in our own words. The official label stays on the page and, it does not set our number.
Limits
We review the version named on the guide. A different country, cut, or later edit can be different. A guide can miss something.
ClearAge is one input only. It is not a substitute for official classification, and it is not a substitute for your judgement. You decide what is right for your family.
If a title is still being checked, it is marked as in review.
Last updated: 23 September 2026