The ratings board acts as this systemic buffer for art reaching the minds of children, whether the MPA wants to admit that or not. Even though the rating system is voluntary, most theaters refuse to show unrated or NC-17 features. In effect, the rating system is often the make or break for financial success, and determines what stories are greenlit by studios.
MPA ratings also can't take into consideration the fact that films affect everyone differently. "Arachnophobia" (1990) received a PG-13, but for someone like me who is deathly afraid of spiders, it might as well have earned a hard X.
Other horror classics avoided an R but have aged gracefully, including the desert monster comedy "Tremors" (1990), the paranormal flick "What Lies Beneath" (2000), the ghostly American remake "The Grudge" (2004), the Statue of Liberty head-throwing "Cloverfield" (2008) and the child-killing monsters that don't like rocket ship toys "A Quiet Place" (2018). Even one of Raimi's most inventive films, "Drag Me to Hell" (2009), shockingly avoided the scarlet R rating while blending body horror and actively funny sequences.
"Doctor Strange" is yet another example that with movies that target the widest possible audience, the MPA seems too worried about profanity but allows "intense violence" to slip on by with a PG-13.
While my parents would have surely brought me to see the MCU sequel without batting an eye, and as a father of an 11-year-old, I'd do the same, not every parenting style is equal. The MPA should reflect that more consistently.
variety.com
