While the practice of rating movies was established in 1968, there initially wasn’t a rating in between PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) and R (restricted viewing for those under 17). It was because of Steven Spielberg and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” that the PG-13 rating came to be.

While working on “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” in 1984, Spielberg found himself in a dilemma — it wasn’t scary or gruesome enough to be rated R, but it wasn’t entirely suitable for small children either. He called the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jack Valenti, and suggested that a rating in between PG and R should be added.

“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” ended up having a PG rating, but later that same year, “Red Dawn” became the first movie to have a PG-13 rating. Since then, the PG-13 rating has become a useful tool for parents and guardians to determine if their child is ready to see a movie’s content.