The CTIA – the US wireless association – will next week take the wraps of a new system for rating mobile apps based on their “age-appropriateness of their content and context.” The body is working with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which has been running a similar ratings system for computer and video games for the last decade or so.

In a statement, the CTIA said that the details of the mobile apps rating system will be released at a press event next Tuesday (29 November) in Washington.

According to CNet News, the CTIA has been working since March this year on a system that calls for "voluntary self-certification of apps," that will “provide consumers with the information and tools they need to make informed choices when accessing apps using a wireless handset.”

TechCrunch notes that universal age rating guidelines could solve the current inconsistencies on the issue across the various apps platforms. It notes that while titles on the Apple App Store already include comprehensive age guidelines, Android Market titles merely include a maturity level of low, medium or high. Windows Phone, meanwhile, is not thought to include any age guidelines at all, though it does have a “family” section.