Parents trust the movie rating system to protect their children from graphic and disturbing content. That trust is broken when R-rated trailers are shown before PG and PG-13 movies.

I recently watched Mercy at an AMC theater, and nearly every trailer played beforehand was for an R-rated film. The previews included intense violence, graphic sound effects of stabbing, blood spraying onto walls and faces, depictions of possession, and characters walking with visible bloody wounds. It was disturbing — and completely unexpected.

Minors who are legally restricted from seeing R-rated films were exposed to the very content those restrictions are meant to prevent.

If a movie is deemed inappropriate for younger audiences, its advertising should not be shown to them either. Age restrictions lose meaning when theaters promote restricted content to the same audiences they claim to protect.

This is not about censorship. It is about consistency, parental trust, and respecting rating standards.

We are calling on AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and the MPA to implement a clear policy:

R-rated trailers should only be shown before R-rated films.

If ratings matter, they should apply to the entire movie-going experience.

Sign this petition to help protect young audiences and restore integrity to the rating system.