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Original poster

What age would you let your child watch a 15 film?

97 replies

sambasam · 26/12/2018 20:49

A reasonably violent/gory one? We have guests staying and they have put one on for their 7 yr old , feels a bit too young? Mine are younger so I am wondering if this is what they will expect to watch at that age?

OP posts:

NotCitrus · 27/12/2018 11:21

Really depends. I restrict violence and sexist/unpleasant attitudes, don't care about swearing or nudity. Have shown my 6yo 15s without realising - Blackadder 2 and 3! Her older brother loved it but she didn't want Blackadder to die and got scared.

Lillygolightly · 27/12/2018 11:23

Depends on the film and why.

I remember my mum letting me watch the film ghost, I must have been about 9 or 10, she fast forwarded through the love scene at the start and I watched the remainder of the film.

I’ll be sharing Top Gun and the Terminator films with my 2 DD’s over the holidays they are 8 almost 9 and 14. I’ll be skipping the love scenes but the rest they can watch.

I’ll only let them watch rated films if I know and have watched the film myself first.

thisisjustdaft · 27/12/2018 11:25

Violent and gory? 7 is way too young.

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7 year olds Families

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 27/12/2018 11:27

Is gremlins a 15...no wonder I was traumatised at 7....
Regarding the original question depends on the film, but likely 13

Somewhereovertheroad · 27/12/2018 11:28

Absolutely not at 7. Although several of the boys in Ds class have had 18 rated Grand theft Auto since about 8.

Ds is 10 and he has seen a lot of the 12 rated Marvel movies ...some of them when he was 9.

Dd is 14 and has watched 15 movies for a couple of years

but at 7? No!!

Lillygolightly · 27/12/2018 11:35

This reminds me I shared the Aliens film with DD(14) recently. It’s still the scariest film I’ve ever seen and we got to the end of the film and I was like so....??? She was like yeah it was only a little bit scary, meh! MEH???!!! WTF I still watch that film hiding behind a cushion .

BishopBrennansArse · 27/12/2018 11:36

I let my 14 year old see Deadpool 2, wouldn't have let the others, though. Depends on the child. He's 15 in a couple of weeks.

Pieceofpurplesky · 27/12/2018 11:39

Will the op be back to tell us what film?

Akire · 27/12/2018 11:40

14 but only because being a summer born child might everyone else in your year group would have seen x film but not you. Socialy you experience the same things and same is expected of you educational wise so I would drop a year of friendship group are old enough.

WrithingHomeForChristmas · 27/12/2018 11:47

At 12 I would consider it on a film by film basis.

Catsandbootsandbootsandcats · 27/12/2018 11:49

My kids had watched The Mummy (Brendan Fraser version) from around 6 or 7. It was only when I saw the DVDs in the shop that I realised it was a 15! It was on ITV in the early evening slot so I guess it was cut? It was their favourite film, so never bothered them.

I saw the Gremlins at a young age too, and didn't realise the age rating till I showed my kids this year (they're 14 now) They were actually horrified that I'd watched it so young!

So really it depends on the film and when it was made.

zen1 · 27/12/2018 11:55

Depends on the child and the film. 11 year old DS watched a couple of 15 superhero movies and tv shows where some episodes were rated 15, but 15 year old hasn’t seen any 18s.

Knittink · 27/12/2018 11:55

It depends on the film and the child, but definitely not age 7.

mortifiedmama · 27/12/2018 11:59

Dirty dancing probably 7. I was around that age and all the inappropriate content went right over my head until I was around 13.

Something more violent, then probably around 13.

BrokenWing · 27/12/2018 12:15

While most of the older content of Dirty Dancing will go over the head of a 7 year old and they will just enjoy the music and dancing, it just ruins the film seeing it so early.

Seeing around 13-15 you can understand and appreciate the aspects of abortion, losing your virginity, the relationships between the characters and parents, coming of age etc and it gives the film more depth, which is the reason why it is such a good film because of the build up and meaning in the final dance scenes . But only if you see it for the first time at an older age than 7.

MrsChollySawcutt · 27/12/2018 12:16

Definitely not at 7. I wouldn't let a 7 year old watch a 12 let alone a 15! I'm not saying my own kids haven't seen movies before they reached the correct age range
for the rating but when we blur the lines it's by a year or two max and only when we have checked the content out first.

There is no way a 7 year old can contextualise the violent and sexual scenes in the average 15 rated movie. Those films aren't going to be interesting to a child that age, it's just selfish parenting because they want to watch that movie.

Redcrayons · 27/12/2018 12:19

Like everyone else, depends on the film. I usually really the parents guide and see why it’s 15.

whyameyehere · 27/12/2018 13:12

Depends on the child and on the film, dd1 has always been much more sensitive than dd2 whose favourite phrase was it's not real it's only a story and loves being scared, I wouldn't let her watch anythingtoo violent, gory or overtly sexual yet though

WhyDontYouComeOnOver · 27/12/2018 13:16

It's funny though that people are all up in arms about 15 films, yet are quite happy to sit at home and watch things like Friends or Big Bang which are both rated 15, or even the soaps which contain far more violence and distressing content than a lot of 15 films and are on pre-watershed.

youwillbepk · 27/12/2018 14:08

My 14 year old is in year 19 and the youngest in her year and asked me if she could watch a 15 the other day! Bless her I still checked it was ok though😳

youwillbepk · 27/12/2018 14:09

Year 10

HolgerLowCarbingLoser · 27/12/2018 14:18

Depends on the child, and on the film. Somewhere between 12-15.

But no, I would definitely not be exposing a seven year old to that kind of film. Extremely irresponsible.

And you set the rules for your children, so what they expect really has very little to do with it until they are mid to late teens.

lljkk · 27/12/2018 14:25

We let DS watch some of Sharknado at 6 or 7 so I am in the guilty camp. He was very upset, oops. My (only slightly) older kids had thought it hillarious so I didn't realise how horrific it is.

Mars Attacks is similar; you think it's funny, but it's pretty horrific, too.

blueskiesandforests · 27/12/2018 14:27

WhyDontYouComeOnOver Big Bang is rated 12 not 15 - quite why it's rated 12 not PG is a bit baffling.

Consenting adults implying that they have sex and very mild swearing is fine but very frightening or violent films seem to get the same rating as series where there are mere mild, occasional, non explicit references to consentual sex or attraction between adults... Odd that the two draw down the same rating.

Catsandbootsandbootsandcats · 27/12/2018 14:48

I'd definitely rather mine watched a 15 film I'd checked than Eastenders or other soaps. We're all still traumatised from turning over too early and seeing Phil Mitchell's bright red face screaming at something the other day.

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