To let my 8yo watch Titanic?

[GlummyMcGlummerson]

I know it's a 12 but she's taken a real interest in the history of the Titanic and spotted the movie on our NowTV stick and has asked to watch it. Obviously the post coital car scene and the "draw me like one of your French girls" are the biggest turn offs for allowing her - although I expect she'd giggle at Kate Winslet'a breast rather than feel uncomfortable. I have had the sex talk with her, but in a very objective "this is how babies are made" way not "it's quite nice to have a shag in a car with someone who looks like Leonardo DiCaprio" way. WIBU to let her watch it (obviously watching it with her)?

My 8 year old has watched it, it didn't upset him at all. He has also watched numerous documentaries and read numerous books about it and visited the museum in Belfast. He didn't find any of it overly distressing - he knows that people died, and he thinks that is sad, but his main focus is on the boat, and what happened to it, and how it was engineered and why it sank the way it did.

Interesting answers.
If you'd posted about a 12A like Marvel, Star Wars or Jurrasic World you would have got replies that said absolutely fine unless very sensitive or a regular on cruises
I would be worried about them playing Celine Dion afterwards and would fast forward the drawing bit

I watched this at about 7/8 and lived to tell the tale. Lots of precious parents on here as usual.

My dd is 9, going into year 5 in September and she is obsessed with The Titanic and has watched it loads of times. She also watches every documentary she can find on the discovery channel and on YouTube and I got her a great book from Amazon with lots of pictures and interesting facts.

Dd and her dad are flying to Belfast ( from Liverpool so only about half an hour ) next month to visit the Titanic museum.
I honestly don’t think it’s too old for her.

My daughter watched it at that age because she was learning about it at school. The sex stuff went totally over her head. She wasn't traumatized by the death and destruction.... she's now 14, we watched it again the other day with my 10 year old son.

Watched it with 11 and 14 year old who are pretty robust and we are quite lax but 11 year old found it upsetting - 8 year old absolutely no way.

My kids would be very upset by a movie like this, and I wouldn't dream of letting them watch it. Not because of the nudity, but all the death. I've noticed that other kids can sit through violent movies without being bothered, though. Those kids seem to have a lot more detachment from what they're watching. I wonder what causes the difference.

To all the posters who've let their young children watch it, I'm curious, for what reasons do you think the British Board of Film Classification have said that children under 12 are not allowed to see this film at the cinema or rent it on DVD?

When people say, my child watched it and they weren't bothered - maybe your child has become desensitised to violent content by being exposed to it frequently. Is that a good thing?

I think I was about that age when I saw it in the cinema.. I definitely watched it when I was around that age I don't see the issue, it's a beautiful film

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue

When people say, my child watched it and they weren't bothered - maybe your child has become desensitised to violent content by being exposed to it frequently. Is that a good thing?

It's not violent content though. It's a recreation of a ship sinking.

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue

When people say, my child watched it and they weren't bothered - maybe your child has become desensitised to violent content by being exposed to it frequently. Is that a good thing?

Or, they have experienced difficult and scary things in a safe way through stories and programmes with their parents there with them, and aren't traumatised by the slightest thing?

My Godson was young (Definitely younger than 8) when it came out on video and he just about wore the video tape out.

I suspect it wouldn't get a 12 rating these days.

But I haven't watched it in years, so I'd do that or watch it with her (preferably both)

and aren't traumatised by the slightest thing?

Hundreds of people drowning?

I’m always astonished at how many parents ignore the age ratings. You’d rather ask a bunch of random on here than follow the expert advice on the box? Weird.

Of course it’s not suitable for an 8 year old. That’s why it’s a 12. Jesus.

Our son was ten when he watched it at a friends house (unbeknownst to us) . He had nightmares for weeks afterwards. Why rush them into age inappropriate things?

The nudity wouldn't bother me at all, the thousands of people dying on a sinking boat would. We're not at a great point in our own history to remind children of more ways we can die. Many kids are already navigating some level of anxiety about the state of the world.

It's not violent content though. It's a recreation of a ship sinking.

A ship sinking which led to the traumatic deaths which are depicted quite graphically in the film - for example, a person falling from the deck and hitting the ship's propellor, someone pushing another passenger under the water in order to save themselves, people being swept to their deaths by water surging through the ship, or being locked in and so drowned.

I would not be happy for my 8-year-old child to watch that, no.

Let her watch A Night to Remember instead.

Sounds like you made your mind up already. Let her watch it then and delete this thread

@Yeahnahmum why would I delete the thread?

Well, you know your DD and whether she would be upset with the tragic elements in the film. I'd probably let my DC watch it with me so we could discuss it.

I've watched it a few times and do enjoy it although the love story is a bit meh. The sinking is still pretty impressive. I am slightly obsessed with all things Titanic (have even watched the real-time animation of the sinking on YouTube...gives you a real sense of how relatively quickly the disaster unfolded.)

I do agree that it's a way into the history but ensure your DD takes some of the 'facts' with a huge pinch of salt. Apparently, the family of first officer Murdoch were very upset at his portrayal. (He was the crew member portrayed as shooting a passenger) By all accounts he behaved with dignity and professionalism and whether he shot himself has never been proven. Interestingly, the film producers personally apologised to the family for the screen version of events.

The Belfast Titanic museum is amazing and there's quite a good exhibition at the Maritime museum in Liverpool too.

I watched it when I was 8/9.
It was one of my favourite movies for a while and the theme song meant an awful lot to me and my family at the time.
My children are under 10 and have watched a few 12’s, there’s been nothing inappropriate in them, maybe just some moments that could scare some children.

The sex stuff is pretty tame, the actual disaster is probably known (i.e., that people died), but a man commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. Wouldn't want my child to see that.

Love the film but not a chance my 10 year old dd would be allowed to watch it. There's just no need. It's a 12 for a reason.