To think my DB is far too young to watch Game of Thrones

[Skinheadmermaid]

He's 12 and in year 7.
My DM doesn't pay the blindest bit of attention to anything he watches. I'm only thankful he doesn't have internet access.
Am I being uptight? I think 12 is a bit too young, perhaps in another year or two.
He's not mature at all.

Loving the idea that you can stop a 16 year old watching or reading something. That's cute.

Also loving that at 16 you can join the army but a fantasy telly show is too violent for you.

My 15 year old trusts me, and if I suggest that watching something would be damaging to him, he believes me.

There's a difference between watching violent, coercive sex from the background of having experienced 25 years of loving, consensual sex, and watching it when you have had no experience yet at all.

Not strictly on topic but, King, under 18s need parental consent to join the army and are not allowed in combat zones. So no, you can't join the army and go and kill someone aged 16.

12 year old watching GoT. Of course it's not suitable. Complex stuff you shouldn't have to deal with at that age.

I couldn't finish the second book. There was a scene in which a child of 3 was horrifically clubbed to death in front of his mother. Completely turned my stomach. Lots of child and baby deaths. Lovely.
No way would I let my 12 year old watch GoT or read the books

When I think of some of the things I did at 15, watching a fantasy TV show with violence seems very mild.

I don't think many teenagers pay attention to something if their parents ban it..

Loving the idea that you can stop a 16 year old watching or reading something. That's cute.

Me too. I do recall watching 'The lives and loves of a she devil' back in the 80's, very very quietly on a knackered portable in my room hovering near the off button just in case my Mum came upstairs. I'd have been 13 as according to Wiki it was released in 1986.

Now way back in 1986 we had no net access, no mobiles etc yet still we found ways to watch what we weren't supposed to and discussed them with sniggers the following day in the yard.

I suspect in 2015 it's a hell of a lot easier.

I have only just started watching GOT ( few years too late as usual!) and watched the first episode while dd10 was in the room with her headphones on watching something on her iPad, I got really into it and realised about halfway through she was glued to it im pretty lax with what they watch, but did turn it off, it's not the violence I didn't want her to see, it was the rape scenes, same as with Sons of Anarchy, they're the only 2 shows I have stopped her watching, think I likely would let her watch when she's 12 but can't be sure...

She Devil is practically The Clangers compared to GoT

Taperjean - why don't you have a problem with your 10yr old watching the violence in GOT? Don't you think it's pretty violent and disturbing?

I did make a mistake letting mine watch Sean Of The Dead when they were young. I had forgotten the bad language and a few really gory bits. I just knew they loved zombies and would find lots of it funny. Still think GOT is another league altogether.

"Come on, parent your children"

^^This.

It is beyond inappropriate and those arguing otherwise have completely lost their parenting compass.

These are the type of parents responsible for my young kids coming home from nursery school pretending to kill things....thanks for that.

I speculate that parents who let their kids watch this kind of thing (and play violent video games) are the ones who want to watch it themselves and so justify it as "time together" when really it's just laziness.

Parenting is making a responsible choice, you can't wrap them in cotton wool untill they are 18 then let them be free. Its just silly to think these days you can ban a TV show from a teenager.

But letting a 12 year old watch GOT cannot possibly be said to be making a responsible choice in anyone's books.

She Devil is practically The Clangers compared to GoT

It is if you are setting the bar by todays TV, but back in 1986 it was enough to get Mary Whitehouse's knickers in a knot.

In answer to bambambini, I don't actually think the violence is as bad as realistic violence, she wouldn't be phased by a dragon burning someone to death or zombies attacking people as its fantasy, far worse is shown on the news, but I'm not saying Id let her watch it, just mean that it wouldn't be the violence that meant she couldn't, it's the sexual content.

Yea id say 12 is too young.

No, No, No. Do NOT let your DS watch GoT. I can't watch it.

I remember Sisters! Mind you, Mary Whitehouse got her knickers in a twist over a lot of stuff. Some bizarrely - others probably rightly so.

There's plenty of stuff that even as an adult I don't read or watch (GoT included). The fact that I can and that, like some peoples's 12yr olds apparently, I'm 'mature enough' doesn't make it a good or healthy choice.

OP, is there any chance you could appeal to your DB directly? I know it's unlikely to work, but he might be actually craving boundaries if your DM gives him none and might feel cared for and respond ok.

12 is much to young. I love GOT but you need some life experience to give it context.

theres a difference between allowing your child to watch something and them seeing it behind you back - if you have taken care that they wont watch it and said they cant then they are disobeying you.

on a side note, my DCs were playing some game online, (they are 9/13) and they had choices to make 'friends with benefits', 'stroke inner thigh' 'lactation' and some others, and i asked 9yr if he knew what they meant and he didnt. I said i wasnt comfortable with them playing it, but said if they REALLY wanted to, we would first go through each and every comment and i would explain what they meant.... the choice was theirs! (they decided to stop playing!!) (glad they didnt call my bluff!!)