To think that 6 is too young to watch "Jaws"?

[Boozilla]

A friend recently posted a pic on FB of her 4 children aged 15, 9, 8 and 6 sitting on a sofa. Two looked like they were about to cry and one was covering here yes. To be fair the eldest one looked fairly nonplussed.

The caption was "Lol. The kids are freaked out watching Jaws"

Now I generally refrain from pulling on judgey pants but my first reaction here was along the lines of "WHAT the f....?!"

If I let my 6.5 DS watch that he wouldn't sleep for a week! I would certainly have trouble ever getting him into the sea on holiday ever again!

I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary movies but I was pretty shocked!

[extremepie]

What I find more worrying is not necessarily the fact that her kids are watching jaws but the fact that she posted a picture on FB laughing about the fact they were afraid! How mean!

She could have at least comforted the ones who looked upset by it, explained that its not real, etc.. (that's what my mom always did when I saw something on tv or in movies that upset me - still works today!)

Incidentally, I wouldn't let my 4yr old DS watch it because I know it would freak him out but he is a a very 'sensitive' child and gets upset quite easily. My 3yr old DS probably wouldn't care but I wouldn't let him watch it either!

[Southender]

Scared me to death when I saw it at 9 or 10, was frightened in the bath afterwards. I remember everyone talking about it at school the next day. I think it's a brilliant film now but there's no way I would want my 7 year old to watch it. I am scarred by what I saw (usually at other kids' homes!) when I was little. As a result my kids don't get to watch Scooby Doo (I had massive nightmares about it) or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (still having nightmares about the Childcatcher at age 40!!!!)

[PumpkinBones]

It does depend on the child. Ds1 is 5 and while he watches other old PG films, (Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Goonies) I wouldn't let him watch Jaws as he is always going on about blood and death, and it would just fuel this morbid curiosity too much!

DH watched all sorts of horror films from a young age - he saw The Excorcist at aged 7, with his parents and loves them still, but has learned how sensitive other children can be when he let DS1 watch a bit of Poltergeist when he was 3, two years on and he STILL goes on about the little girl getting pulled into the cupboard

[KristineKochanski]

DNBU. I've got a nearly 8 year old and a 4 yr old, and there's no way I'd let them watch it, it'd scare the crap out of them!

[rogersmellyonthetelly]

IMO 6 is way too young, but parents know their own children best. Still, the fact that she is posting about her kids being freaked out says it all really.
I watched it aged 6, and I can't swim in the sea ( swim round in circles in case it's behind me) I forced myself onto the jaws ride at universal studios to avoid being laughed at by my family and ended up having a full blown panic attack and hives. Logically I know it's a fibre glass shark, you can even see the scratches in the paint on the bloody thing, but even now at 36 I can't watch the film and the music brings me out in a cold sweat.
The real shame of it is that because of my phobia, which was brought on by the film, I can't let my kids on a boat even in the uk, Thankfully my husband has seen me waking up in a cold sweat after a nightmare and understands that while my fear is ridiculous, I can't help it, and he doesn't push it when I refuse boat trips etc.
My father still thinks my phobia is highly amusing.

[NettoSuperstar]

DD saw it at six and loved it. She's seen all the Jaws films now and Gremlins, and Indiana Jones. She loves being scared and I'm fine with her watching them.
Of course I wouldn't let her watch Saw, or Hostel but Jaws is her kind of fun scary.

In saying that, when she has friends over I don't let them have anything but tame PG's, as it's not for me to make decisions for other people's kids.

[Choufleur]

Depends on the child. Ds has watched Jurassic park and is not scared by it. I think jaws would freak him out though as there are still sharks alive and dinosaurs don't. He watches things that would prob have scared me as a child. I watched jaws for the first time when I was about 7 and scared the crap out of me but it's one of my favourite films.

[Debs75]

I watched Jaws when I was about 6 and it scared me to death. I am scared of open water and just looking at sharks brings me out in a cold sweat.

I also have the 'afraid of the toilet' fear. For years I hyad to make sure I had got to the bottom of the stairs before the toilet had finished flushing or Jaws would get me.

[BonzoDooDah]

My sister never swam in the sea again after watching Jaws at age 10. Nuff said I think.

[begonyabampot]

To say nothing of Connery or Moore easily bedding any female with a pulse! Still have to deal with the first sexual/sex scenes with the kids - not looking forward to it and remember how uncomfortable my dad used to get with us.

[Binfullofmaggotsonthe45]

I saw Jaws at the cinema with my nan at 6 years old, can't say i was that disturbed by the actual film, but yes was terrified of swimming in the sea. This had more to do with wind up merchant older brother though!

DS6 has seen Jurassic Park but I put my hand over his eyes for the "man on the toilet" scene, much to his disgust.

I agree with the new James Bonds. We sit as a family and watch a bit of Moore and Connery, however it's also quite hard explaining why hysterical women get slapped in the 70's to "calm them down".

[begonyabampot]

I agree with monster movies - I'd be more likely to let them watch something like Jurassic Park than a movie where the violence is between people like the last 2 Bond movies. Bond was always sort of family entertainment but the last 2 were quite close up nitty gritty violence. The kids watched Jurassic Park 3 recently, shown by their dad and loved it although I would have rather they hadn't seen it yet. Started watching the new king Kong but had to turn it off as soon as the action started as it was quite scary. They were terrified at Coraline and it still gets to them a year or 2 down the line.

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

But a lot of fear IS irrational isnt it. I saw too many horror films when I was younger (must have been without parents knowing I hasten to add) and as a result I am a big wuss...when I get up in the night to go to the loo I turn all the lights on much to DH's annoyance.......if I try and be brave I'll sit on the loo in the dark and worry that Michael Myers is gonna kill me on the way back to bed ..nob obv I KNOW that he does not exist, my fear is irrational but I still crap myself and run run run back to the safety of my duvet.

Shit, I can see the men in white coats coming

[Oblomov]

I had no idea that so many grown ups would still be scared of swimming because of Jaws. Your rational thought tells you that it is just a film, and that by nature sharks don't actually eat humans in the way it was portrayed, and yet you can't swim in a swiming pool, without hearing the music.
That is actually illogical. you do know that, right ?

[DilysPrice]

I've never seen Jaws all the way through (DH was when I admitted that) and the DCs haven't seen it (though DS loves the Lego reenactments of key scenes on YouTube).

But as a general rule I'd be much more relaxed about monster movies, even very scary ones, than anything with human on human violence or genuinely adult content. Jaws to my mind probably crosses the line between enjoyably terrifying and traumatic nightmares for weeks terrifying, so I wouldn't show it to my DCs (8&6) but it's not so far over the line that I'd get judgy on someone who made the other choice for their own DCs.

[Meglet]

yanbu.

I won't let 4yo DS watch jurassic park either. Poor little mite only knows cbeebies.

[Fifis25StottieCakes]

When we were little we were all ways watching horror films at my nanas house.

I watched the Thing which made me frightened of dogs for ages
Phycho
10 Rillington Place or something
and many more

I dont think my mam knew we watched them. It didnt seem to bother my brother and cousin but it definately had an effect on me.

I also stayed at my friend house whos dad had a pirate copy of a nightmare on elm street. I was terrified about going to bed for months.

I wouldnt let any of my DD's watch horror movies as i can still remember being terrified to go to bed and i dont want them to feel like that.

I suppose it depends what your child is like.

[DooinMeCleanin]

Also very sad the damage the film caused to the reputation of a beautiful animal. Sharks are not man eaters. - dd1 was very angry about this point while she was watching it. Dd2 is scared of open water because of sharks, but that is more to do with the docu's that dd1 watches, where no-one is eaten. She has never seen Jaws or any other horror film. She is also scared of giant squid and ocotopus. I am not very tolerent of fears and she is made to float about in the sea in her rubber ring, whilst whimpering "A Shark just touched my foot" or "That's a Squid down there"

[Insomnia11]

I wouldn't let my 5 year old watch it. I don't think it's the gore that would bother her - she'd be fascinated, frankly. "What was that bit hanging off mummy?"

It's the psychological stuff that would bother her, the music, the tension. She'd probably never swim in the sea again!

Jaws was the subject of classroom chatter in infant school, I think some kids had seen it. I was terrified at the mere idea of it, though I've always kind of liked sharks in a way. When I finally did see it as an adult I actually quite enjoyed the film. It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

[fantagrape]

another one here who was allowed to watch it when I was about 4. I was traumatised for life - still nervous in open water etc etc.

Posters are saying the special effects aren't too scary - IMO the reason Jaws has been famous for 30 years is down to the terrible fear and suspense. Not suitable for small kids!


People also saying their kid watched it and didn't seem too bothered.
Don't be so sure, it may still become apparent your child is fearful in water thanks to that film.

Also very sad the damage the film caused to the reputation of a beautiful animal. Sharks are not man eaters.

[LieInsAreRarerThanTigers]

I strongly discouraged dd (11) from watching it the other week, as she absolutely loves swimming and bodyboarding in the sea, often by herself, (i.e. we are on the shore) and I would not want this to change!
On the subject of other films having 'unsuitable' scenes, language etc I was a bit shocked by a few bits in Mrs Doubtfire.

[tazmin]

i know someone who let the kids watch Saw and whatnot from about 5 onwards

must be a co-incidence that all of them now have "issues"

[Awomancalledhorse]

The only film that scared me as a child was 'Return to Oz'; the wheelies & the mad bint with the heads!!
I would be happy showing Jaws to a 5 year old, depending on if I think they'd enjoy it without screaming the house down (I had an unhealthy obsession with sharks as a child)!

[BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack]

Cloud - we watched it with peanuts and a snowball and all snuggled under the quilt

[cloudpuff]

Probably gonna get flamed but my dd (6(almost 7 if thats any better)) watched some of it not long ago, think it was on tv? she was quite amused by it. It's not like we sat down with popcorn to watch it but she wasn't phased by what she saw.