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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To let 13 year old DS watch Game of Thrones?

164 replies

kitnkaboodle · 19/01/2017 00:04

We are 4-5 years behind the rest of the world, obv .. I gave DS DVD of the first series in his Xmas stocking. It had a 15 cert on the box, which I gauge to be ok for DS. However, disks inside are variously labelled 15 and 18. From what I can tell, though, the sex scenes seem to be 1960s soft porn-y (yet quite frequent - and gratuitous!) Not sure .. I think I'm probably ok with it. He's quite chilled. Any thoughts? Any shockers to come??

OP posts:
kitnkaboodle · 19/01/2017 12:15

I've seriously lost my grip on the moral high ground since posting this question Blush

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 19/01/2017 12:25

No legitimate copy is 15

I would let a 16-17 year old watch it if they were mature enough. A 14 year old, never

To let 13 year old DS watch Game of Thrones?
DixieNormas · 19/01/2017 12:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LaurieMarlow · 19/01/2017 12:33

Dixie, I'm not saying he should watch it (read my post) but it's not a bad thing for teenage boys to understand how women have been treated historically and to have an intelligent conversation about how historical and societal norms have lead to such inequality and how it still exists today.

You don't need GoT to have that conversation, obviously.

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 19/01/2017 12:36

I've watched them all... and definitely no no no to a 13 year old watching them.

But sex with dogs?? Confused that doesn't happen does it??

LaurieMarlow · 19/01/2017 12:38

Forced sex with dogs is hinted at in the books.

LotsoNumbers · 19/01/2017 12:48

I would probably let a mature 14/15 year old read the books but a 13 year old absolutely doesn't need to be reading or watching GOT and I find it really distasteful that children are being allowed to watch it. It's 18 for a reason. Same with GTA I would let a 15 year old play it, but GTA is nowhere near as bad as GOT

wintertimeisfun · 19/01/2017 12:57

no fucking way would i let dd 14 watch goft. call me old fashioned, i don't give a shit. we are easy going types BUT this is very heavy duty and even shocks us at times. dd is way behind the way i was at 14, probably a lot to do with her lovely set of friends (more into studying than interested in boys) and whilst she does not about 'the fact of life' etc i don't want her to see this yet. dh and i LOVE goft and have been rewatching the season before last before we watch the latest one which we missed (really excited) and only the other night we looked at each other and said NO WAY could she watch this yet...

augustbody · 19/01/2017 13:06

Is Game of Thrones suitable for a 13 year old?

Hell. No. Not on any planet. Ever.

There are always people on these threads that have a 'special' child who is oh so mature and can handle anything. And enjoys cuddling up with Mum to watch torture, rape, incest and extremely graphic violence so that afterwards the two of them can have a super grown up discussion about the 'important girls issues' that the episode may have touched on.

What absolute bollocks. Grow up. Be a parent and stop trying to be so right on. GOT is not suitable for a 13 year old. Neither are the books.

In 20 years time there will be women on here like 'OMG my mum let me watch GOT when I was 13, what the fuck was she thinking???'

By the way, I LOVE game of thrones, it's my favourite show ever, hence I have watched every single episode. It's not for 13 year olds for fucks sake.

LadyFlumpalot · 19/01/2017 13:13

Oh god no. I love love love GOT, but I've had to stop reading them as the violence just got a bit too much. The last bit I read made me feel genuinely nauseous and I had to put the book down and step away.

That's in print. Imagine it right up there in your face in glorious technicolor and surround sound on a screen.

I also agree that the women are actually portrayed as strong characters. The setting is quasi medieval so of course they will defer to the men, but you are shown how strong, intelligent and self sufficient they are numerous times (Arya kicks ass).

Nanny0gg · 19/01/2017 18:59

I also agree that the women are actually portrayed as strong characters.

Not to mention amoral and totally ruthless - Cersei?

harderandharder2breathe · 19/01/2017 19:09

No 13 year old should be watching GoT. Why would you even consider buying that for him? And to not do even a quick google search for suitability? Yabvvvu

Nataleejah · 19/01/2017 19:27

By the cover it does appear a bit like "Lord of the Rings" and if you're not into film/tv very much quite easy to make a mistake.

Metallic · 19/01/2017 19:49

Wow. Just, wow.

kiwiblue · 19/01/2017 20:51

sunnymeg - no, the books are not equivalent to Diana Gabaldon!! Like a pp said, I actually stopped reading the books as I found them too graphic and gratuitously violent. I've watched all the series and the scene that upset me from the books wasn't in the series. It was a rape being discussed and it was so casually brutal.
So no, I really don't think 14/15 year olds should be reading the books.

BeyondCanSeeTheEmperorsBellend · 19/01/2017 21:01

Put it this way. The actor who played Ramsey Bolton will soon be playing hitler. I don't think people can be any more negative about that role than they have been about Ramsey

dollydaydream114 · 19/01/2017 21:17

sunnymeg - The books depict the same brutal and violent world that you see in the TV series, so they're nothing like Outlander at all. They are dark and gruesome and gritty.

I actually would let a 15 year old read them - but then, I would let a 15 year old read anything. Books don't have age ratings, and I wouldn't expect a 15 year old to ask my permission before buying a book or checking it out of the library. My parents let me read anything I liked when I was a teenager, and I am eternally grateful to them for that.

Would you let your son read Stephen King or James Herbert? The GoT books are about as 'adult' as that, I would say.

melj1213 · 19/01/2017 22:45

I've read Diana Gabaldon, and imagine them to be similar, am I right?

No, you are very not right ...

Take the Red Wedding ... the show actually cencored it as in the book once they have killed Robb Stark they find his Dire Wolf, Grey Wind, and decapitate both, before sewing the dire wolf's head to Robb's body, putting a crown on it's head, to parade it through the streets in a mockery of the King of the North ...

Even GRRM said that he was really badly affected by the Red Wedding: ...the Red Wedding was the hardest thing I ever wrote. I wrote the entire book, I skipped over the Red Wedding and wrote all the way to the end, and then I came back and did the Red Wedding, because it was just emotionally difficult to do that. But you know, hopefully, if it's hard to write, it'll be hard to read, too. It’ll affect the reader emotionally. I mean if the reader is just reading the book and terrible things happen, and they just put it aside and say, “What’s for dinner,” you’ve kind of failed. Your characters haven't achieved any reality here.

If even the writer, who thought up then wrote down the entire series, emotionally struggled to deal with parts of the book, how do you expect a teenager to deal with it adequately, especially if their parents haven't read the book or understand it's complexities?

bunnylove99 · 19/01/2017 22:57

Absolutely not suitable, but you definitely know that by now OP!

w12newmum · 19/01/2017 23:18

I don't have children that age but I think I would. Sure I watched worse and at 13 they are pretty independent surely.

andintothefire · 19/01/2017 23:23

I would be OK with about a 15 year old watching it personally (depending on their maturity), but I would probably not choose to show it to a 13 year old. I also think that older teenagers will enjoy it more. But then I do think it's a fantastic programme, and can't wait for the new season!

It will finish around mid-2018 I think, so maybe you could review the situation then.

My parents didn't censor my viewing from the age of about 15, and actually I'm really grateful for that. I was definitely watching 18 films by that age. I can't remember ever having an issue with or being affected by depictions of sex and violence, but supernatural horror movies did give me nightmares until a couple of years ago..

StarryIllusion · 19/01/2017 23:50

No way from me and I let a 9 year old watch True Blood. Not the sex scenes obviously but the rest. Game of Thrones is a bit much for a 13 year old I think. Maybe in a year or two, I might.

SomewhatIdiosyncratic · 20/01/2017 00:20

I'm partway through watching them for the first time. Just finished season 3. I held back because of its violent reputation- there's plenty of 15s that I won't watch and I rarely watch 18s.

I am enjoying them as I like fantasy/ historical settings. The violence, swearing and sex are graphic parts of a medieval based society; they are in context. I can cope with necks gushing blood from sword slashes better than machine gun fire sound effects. I did cringe at watching the massacre at the wedding. It's brilliantly produced, and other than the blood and spare body parts, it is a visual feast. The acting and characters are great (even if some are utterly despicable).

It is an 18 with good reason.

Nanny0gg · 20/01/2017 00:21

No way from me and I let a 9 year old watch True Blood

Why? What is the need for that? 9?? What on earth would appeal/be relevant to a 9 year old in that programme?

and at 13 they are pretty independent surely.

No. not especially. And what has independance got to do with this anyway?

MommaGee · 20/01/2017 00:55

My Dp and I moved in together after just 4 months of knowing each other. That week he was all "oohh let's watch this really good show I like!!"
Put on first episode of GOT and I genuinely wondered what kind of person I'd moved on with!!!

Now like it but very behind. Would not be happy with 14 yo niece watching that level of violence and sex and sexual violence