Tablet, smartphone app rating system introduced

CTIA-The Wireless Association®, an international wireless communications industry organization, has introduced a new rating system to determine the violence, language and sexual content level of mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers.

According to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek, the new system is designed to give smartphone and tablet users an idea of what they're buying into before making an app purchase. The system will also help parents monitor their children's app use, and will include a five-point scale ranging from "everyone" to "adults only."

It will be operated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and is completely voluntary. In fact, some major players, including Apple® and Google, have not yet given their blessing to the program and may opt to go in a different direction with their respective app storefronts.

“We’ve put a lot of effort into Android Market’s rating system, which now works well globally,” says Google spokesman Christopher Katsaros, according to Businessweek. “While we support other systems, we think it’s best for Android users and developers to stick with Android’s existing ratings.”

According to research firm Gartner, global mobile app store revenues are expected to exceed $15 billion in 2011. Whether the market comes to a consensus regarding content ratings or not, it is evident app growth will not be deterred.