TV Parental Guidelines
The TV parental guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States. They were proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The ratings went in effect on January 1, 1997 on most broadcast and cable television networks. This was due to public concern of explicit sex, graphic violence and profanity in television programs. The ratings are a voluntary system.