How firm are you with age ratings on films/games?

[BowieFan]

DS1 and DS2 are both 14 (15 in two weeks) and I've pretty much let them watch anything up to a 15 since they were about 11, as they were both sensible kids and most of the time they were watching the films with us anyway.

18 rated films are kind of an approval basis. DS1 is a horror nut and I have no issue with him seeing things like The Exorcist or Friday the 13th. Anything like 50 Shades of Grey, they'd have to come to me first to have a discussion on why it's not a healthy relationship and all that, and if they understood it I'd probably let them watch.

Games don't come up that often but I've pretty much let them have GTA and CoD since they were 12 as me and DP are both gamers and understand what they're playing. We wouldn't let them have horror games until this year though because we're aware they affect you differently to horror films.

How firm are you on age rating things?

I can't quite get past the statement "12 is not a child." Are you really saying that 12-year-olds are not children?

GTA is a vile game, whether people/kids understand that it's "just a game" or not, I can't understand why you'd be entertained by it. I wouldn't let ours play it, or see it, because I don't feel that the themes in it are something kids need to see. As a side note, DS former headteacher, now a good friend, said that if a primary age child says they're playing it at home, child protection proceedings kick in and it's investigated. They wouldn't do that for a harmless game would they? CoD is also very realistic (some of them anyway), I'm reliably informed by DP (war veteran x2) that some of them are the closest thing to actual war he's come across, so again I wouldn't allow DS 9 to play it.
Films, I'd base on common sense. If there were themes about rape, extreme violence, abuse, misogyny or other wildly unsuitable things, I wouldn't allow it. If there is swearing, mild non gratuitous violence in the context of the film, some drug use, we (DP and I) would watch the film first and decide based on that.
Bowie it's your way of sounding like you feel superior to other parents for their choices that is winding people up. What you choose to allow your children to play/watch is up to you. What I choose to allow our kids to play/watch is up to me. I massively disagree with your logic, however, the way you parent your children is none of my business, so I wouldn't tell you that you're wrong.
Finally, the parent that used an offensive word for gay people is a twat, because that's a vile attitude to hold.

5moreminutes

No, we've never shown an 18 rated film to other kids and any 18 rated games the kids play are taken away when a friend comes over.

The highest we have shown is when DS1 had two friends over and they wanted to watch Terminator 2 (a very soft 15) and we asked their parents beforehand and e-mailed them a detailed breakdown of what happened in the film. Neither of them had issue with it.

ayeokthen

Sorry, but your friend is talking absolute bollocks. I know precisely of one trust that has threatened to do this, but they've actually done nothing. Sounds like your "friend" reads the DM too much.

Ratings on games aren't legally binding, so it's impossible to actually get child protection involved in a case like that.

ayeokthen

By which I mean they're not legally enforceable once bought. The shop selling to an underage person could be, but you can't actually get social services involved if a kid plays an 18 game in their own home. It's hilarious the bubble you and your "friends" live in!

And that's the attitude I was talking about Bowie. I've said my piece, you've mocked me for it, I've decided you're not worth trying to reason with.

Actually you can involve SS if you feel a child isn't being cared for properly.

Hulababy

Yes, we know of the guidance. The head felt it was justifiable due to the fact that we were reading a book about the miners' strike (GB84) which is considered OK by the exam board despite it being more graphic in language and content. The governors watched Pride, signed off on it and allowed us to proceed with contacting parents. Only one of them had an issue, which I've already mentioned.

Why does it need a specially edited version? To remove a dildo? Come on.

I really hope child protection isn't wasting its time and money investigating kids playing GTA - especially when there is such limited resources available. I for one would rather they better investigate actual reports of serous neglect and abuse instead!

ayeokthen

Yes, and a kid playing a game would not qualify as "not being looked after properly".

This is the issue, people running to social services over silly shit so that they end up spending their time chasing up nonsense instead of protecting kids that actually need it.

But clearly me and DP are neglectful parents despite us both having long-lasting careers, me with experience in child protection and safeguarding and us actually adopting our kids and going through years of checks (we still have an annual visit from our social worker who has had no cause for concern about our lads). We must be neglectful for letting a 12 year old play GTA San Andreas, a 10 year old game that is so cartoonish that it's actually funny.

Bowie - I don't think you are neglecting your children although some things you have said are maybe a bit questionable (please please please stop going on about the bloody dildo! We get it! You like Pride!!! ) but I think you do make a valid point that ratings should be taken as a guide and people should use common sense. Which really 90% of posters have also agreed with.

Yes, and a kid playing a game would not qualify as "not being looked after properly".

I think it does actually and I think it is likely that teachers or other professionals might be alerted by playground talk from kid's regarding the inappropriate material they're being exposed to. At the very least they'd probably think you were rather a shit parent if nothing else.

www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/29/schools-parents-police-children-18-rated-games

And on GTA I love that game but I only drive around stopping at red lights (so basically I play drive around the city and abide by the laws coz I'm a geek) and sometimes doing the ambulance and taxi missions. It doesn't have to have the sex/drugs unless you chose it to

**choose!

My kids are only 8& 4 so this issue hasn't really come up, but I am in no rush for the kids to grow up and start watching grown-up films. I think we have done a few 12a and pg Movies. However my own parents were very strict about what I watched when I was younger, but once I was 15/16 I was pretty much just going to the cinema with friends and watching whatever we want. Lots of 18 movies etc, I think by that point I was old enough to make my own judgement and my parents were not bothered.

Re schools, and games...

I think this applies more in primary schools. I work in an infant school and we do take note of our small children being exposed to these 18 cert games. They are recorded as a potential cause for concern, and filed. It is part of safe guarding procedures and can be used to form the bigger picture in some cases.

Hula - how do you know it is the parents letting them watch these things? Primary goes up to yr 6 now yeah? So a 10/11 year old could easily watch this stuff behind a parents back and then used against the parent at a later date? - if I have read that correctly

Nataleejah I think there is a real problem with older films which were rated when they came out and haven't been reviewed since. Films that got an 18 in 1985 would for the most part not be rated 18 now. That makes a lot of the ratings useless. The idea that they are somehow based on enormous knowledge and expertise does make me laugh.

I think its actually the other way around. When most of those "old" films came out, westerns and action/adventure stuff, they were FOR youngsters, not "strictly adults only".
Its present times that people suddenly got wussy and 'scared'

I work in infants so it only goes up to Y2, which is up to 7 years old.

And as already said this is just placed on file as a POTENTIAL concern and only forms part of a bigger picture. So in isolation it is probably not going to cause an issue at all within school. but if taken with a whole heap of other stuff then it can help.
Also teachers do speak to the children - if this kind of thing comes up then we will chat further with the child, whilst not pushing for information and no formal OTT questioning. Just like your normal every day chit chat with a young child.

I think this applies more in primary schools. I work in an infant school and we do take note of our small children being exposed to these 18 cert games. They are recorded as a potential cause for concern, and filed. It is part of safe guarding procedures and can be used to form the bigger picture in some cases.

But small children can easily be talking rubbish. Some game titles come in "all shapes and sizes." A kid bragging about playing CoD could be easily talking about an ancient NintendoDSi version

Nataleejah

There are definitely some things that would be rated harsher today (films in the 80s that got a PG would be getting a 12 these days) but equally there's some films that are much tamer than the ratings they got. When I was still working at the BBFC we were sent the 1958 of Dracula to recertify. It had been originally given an X and then a 15 as recent as 2003. When we classified we gave it a 12. The majority of it was actually PG material but one or two things pushed it over.

I think attitudes change over time. You're right that some things seem to be far tamer these days than they used to be and too often we apply modern thinking to things. I still can't believe they reclassified Ghostbusters as a 12 recently even though we all watched it as kids and it was seen as pretty family friendly.

Yes Nataaljah - but most teachers are pretty good at chatting to children and sifting out the real from the pretend, the new from the old. Many teachers know what kind of content is in these games and films, and can figure it out. And if they were really concerned they'd not just flag it up with SS without first a rather lot of follow up. Most teachers are not daft - and we are often very much aware that not everything a child says is as clear cut as it might first seem.

GTA is a brilliant series. The latest - GTA5 - is more or less the bestselling game ever if extra content is considered, and deservedly so. It's a superb parody of America, and the graphics, gameplay and writing are spot-on.

I wouldn't let an under-18 play it though.

Amazed that anyone under 15 at the earliest would want to watch Game of Thrones. Wouldn't they be bored shirtless by the machinations?

Why can't more people be like you BadLad? It seems that everyone who doesn't like me letting my nearly 15 year old play GTA is one of those people who'd ban it for any age. I'm quite prepared to accept that my letting him play it is probably not mainstream, but equally I don't think it should be banned like some people are saying.

As for GoT. Well, it's basically a soap opera isn't it? A lot of people like soaps. I watch it with DP. DS1 started catching up with it this year because he wanted to read all the books so far first, which he did. DS2 isn't interested in it so we let him build robots in the loft instead.