As in the world of video games for console and PC, Android applications and games have an age rating . This classification depends on the country you are in, although the ones that concern us today are two: PEGI (Pan European Game Information) in the case of Spain and the European Union and ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) in the case of North America and South America.
You can find the ranking of each application in its Google Play file , right next to the score and the number of downloads. Knowing what each one means is interesting in order to control which apps minors can or cannot access or if the content that we are going to download is appropriate for us.
IN ENGADGET MOBILE
Seven applications to control mobile phone use in minors
The Spanish case: PEGI
We say “the Spanish case” but the PEGI classification applies to Europe and the Middle East . It consists of six sections that go from all public to the age of majority. In the table that you have under these lines you can see what depends on whether an app has one or the other.
| DESCRIPTION | |
| PEGI 3 | Suitable for all age groups. Violence is allowed in a comic context. The characters must be clearly fantastic. Sounds and images that could frighten children should not be included. There should be no bad language. |
| PEGI 7 | Applications suitable for children of three years. They may contain scenes or sounds that can scare them. It can include very mild violence. |
| PEGI 12 | Applications suitable for children of 12 years. Some explicit violence is allowed with fantastic characters. Non-explicit violence with animals or humanoid characters is allowed. Somewhat more explicit nudity is allowed. Moderate foul language is allowed but never sexual in nature. |
| PEGI 16 | Applications suitable for 16 year olds. It is used when there is violence or sexual activity similar to the real world. You can use foul language, incite the use of drugs and tobacco. Criminal activities may be displayed. |
| PEGI 18 | Applications suitable for adults. Those in which the degree of violence manifests itself with brutality are included. Specific elements of violence are included. Explicit sexual content, signs of discrimination or idealization of drug use can be included. |
| RECOMMENDED PARENTAL CONTROL | Focused on apps that cannot be classified in advance by their variety of content. |
If we take it to day-to-day examples, Pokémon GO would be a PEGI 3 app , since it is suitable for all audiences and the only violence shown is that of Pokémon battles. Brawl Stars , the new title from Supercell, makes the leap to PEGI 7 since it includes sounds that can scare (such as certain shots) and mild violence very far from reality.
An example of a PEGI 12 app would be Respawnables . Although it is a shooter game, there is violence applied to fantastic characters and foul language. PEGI 16 would be PUBG Mobile , since violence takes place in a similar way to the real world (war context, real people, etc.).
PEGI 18 games are those that include intense violence and explicit sexual scenes
Two PEGI 18 games would be Hitman Sniper or Grand Theft Auto . They are games in which violence takes place explicitly and with a certain brutality. In the case of GTA there is also gratuitous violence, which is one of those “specific elements of violence” that we point out in the table.
Finally, an app with recommended parental controls would be YouTube. On YouTube there is everything and it cannot be classified in advance, so, when in doubt, parents should control how their children use the app and what content they access.
ESRB and the Latin American case
We crossed the Atlantic to talk about Latin America. As we anticipated before, the age classification system goes hand in hand with the ESRB and is very similar to the European PEGI, although it differs slightly in some points , especially in the section of content for younger children.
| DESCRIPTION | |
| EVERYBODY | Applications suitable for all ages. A minimal amount of mild violence is allowed on fantasy characters. Slightly foul language is allowed infrequently. |
| ALL +10 | Applications for children from 10 years. It can include more manifestations of mild violence directed at fantastic characters. Slightly foul language is allowed. A minimal amount of provocative topics is allowed. |
| TEENAGERS | Applications for children from 13 years. It can include mild violence, provocative themes, and rude humor. Some blood and infrequent use of foul language is allowed. Gambling simulations are allowed. |
| MATURE | Applications for children from 17 years old. It can include intense violence, gore, and bloodshed. May include sexual content and foul language. |
| ADULTS ONLY | Apps for adults only. May include intense violence and explicit sexual content. Allows real money gambling. |
Even with their differences, the applications mentioned above would once again be valid as examples for the Latin American case . Pokémon GO is “Everyone”, Brawl Stars would be “Everyone +10”, Respawnables would be framed in “Teenagers”, PUBG Mobile would be “Mature” and GTA or Hitman Sniper would go to “Adults only”.
These are the standards that are applied in Spanish-speaking countries, but there are many others that are used in certain areas or countries. Germany, for example, uses that of the organization Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK); Australia is dependent on the Australian Classification Board (ACB) and only applies to games; Brazil depends on the ClassInd and South Korea uses the GRAC (Game Rating and Administration Committee) system. The other countries use an international standard called IARC (International Age Ratings Coalition) very similar to the European PEGI.
