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 aged 2 years 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.