Age appropriateness

Age appropriateness is the progression of behavioral norms largely agreed upon within a society or among sociological and psychological authorities to be appropriate to a child's development of social skills. These behaviors are divided into a number of development stages based upon the child's age.

Lack of exposure to age appropriate activities and experiences is commonly thought to prevent a child from gaining the skills necessary for their current and thus their next stage of development.

For example, clapping games are seen as appropriate for children age 24 months and above because of the required communication skills and motor coordination. Biting is seen as appropriate for children 2.5 years and below since they lack the skills and self-control to communicate otherwise.

Content ratings often indicate at which age that content is considered by the rating body to be age-appropriate. For example, in the United States, TV-14 indicates that the television program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years old; it is the equivalent to PG-13 for motion pictures.

See also

• Adultism
• Ageism
• Lie-to-children
• Status offence
• Family friendliness