So, about this whole “the idol age rating” thing. You’d think it’d be straightforward, right? Like movies get a G, PG, R, whatever. But man, diving into it, it’s a whole different beast. I actually tried to make sense of it, for real.
My journey started pretty simply. I was just curious. Saw a music video from one group, seemed totally fine, then another from a different group – or heck, even the same group a year later – and it felt like it was aiming for a completely different audience. So, I thought, there must be some system, some guidelines these entertainment companies or platforms follow. I started poking around, looking at how different videos were tagged, if they were tagged at all.
What a mess. Seriously. One platform might have a little “15+” warning on a video, another would have the same exact video with no warnings at all. Or you’d see shows clearly aimed at teens featuring idols, but then the discussions around them online would be, uh, let’s just say not very teen-friendly. It felt like the wild west.
I even tried to create my own little checklist for a bit. You know, like:
- Lyrics: Any explicit words? Suggestive themes?
- Choreography: Too sexy? Too aggressive?
- Outfits: How revealing?
- Overall concept: Cute? Dark? Mature?
But even that fell apart pretty quick. What one person calls “artistic expression,” another calls “too much for kids.” And the companies themselves? They just want the broadest appeal possible, usually. So they kinda dance around it.
My “Real World” Test Case
The thing that really got me deep into this was an argument, believe it or not. I was at my sister’s place, and her kid, my nephew Leo, he’s about 12. I was showing him some K-pop group I liked, mostly upbeat, catchy stuff. Harmless, I thought. Then one video pops up, a bit more on the “moody” side. You know, darker lighting, more intense stares, costumes that were a bit more ‘fashion’ and less ‘cutesy’. Nothing crazy, by my standards.
Well, my sister walked in right at that moment. And she just lost it. “What are you showing him?! That’s not for kids!” she yells. I was pretty taken aback. I tried to explain, “It’s just a concept, it’s like a mini-movie, they’re performers!” But she wasn’t having any of it. She pointed at some backup dancer’s outfit or something, saying it was “inappropriate.” We went back and forth, and it got pretty heated. Leo just looked miserable, caught in the middle.
After that whole fiasco, I was genuinely stumped. And a bit annoyed, to be honest. I thought, “Okay, I need to figure this out. What IS the actual standard here?” So, I started really digging. I looked at broadcast regulations in Korea, Japan, I looked at YouTube’s policies, I looked at how fan communities themselves tried to gatekeep or guide younger fans. It was a full-on research project born out of pure frustration.
And the conclusion? There’s no solid ground. It’s all shifting sands. What’s okay for one network isn’t for another. What a company labels “all ages” might get flagged by parents. Idols themselves grow up, their concepts change. One comeback they’re all bubbles and sunshine, the next they’re breaking down emotional walls with super intense imagery.
So yeah, “the idol age rating.” It’s not some clear-cut system. It’s more like a continuous, messy negotiation between artists, companies, platforms, and the audience. And if you try to pin it down, good luck. You’ll probably just end up in an argument with your sister like I did. Still a bit sore about that, actually. Makes me think twice before I share my playlists with family, that’s for sure.
