So you let your kids whatch 12/15/18 programmes when they are only 10???

[Cantcook842]

AIBU here or not? I'm not a complete rule follower. I'm sure my child has watched the old older thing occasionally.
But I'm hearing from family members and school friends about what they watch and play and it just confuses me. Do people not want their kids to be kids anymore? Are they quite happy to expose them to violence etc from a young age?
Some recent examples :
Kids in my sons class are age 9 and 10. For at least two years a lot of the boys have been playing Grand Theft Auto. This is a 17+ game due to violent content /crime /rape/prostitutes. My son constantly asking to play and join in. We say no. His cousin also plays it who is 8 years old.

Watching films such as deadpool (15) contains sex and violence. Horror films such as IT, Halloween and Chucky.

The girls in the class are all on tik tok adult accounts and most of them have phones that they bring into school and show each other very grown up videos whilst walking home.

The new recent Netflix programme Squid Games is also 17+. My husband and I watched it and enjoyed it, but it is full of violence and death. Son goes into school, kids all talking about it because they've watched it. My 7 year old daughter loves to play on Roblox, she shows me that there have been squid games created on there, aimed at very young children!

Girls at school watch love Island and think that's a good example for a how a woman to be and aspire to be influencers.
Am I the mean one for not letting my 10 year old watch adult rating programmes and games?

Ive been saying just because so and sos parents let them doesn't mean you can for 20 odd years now (dcs 26,18,10,8) you get used to it

It's a difficult one for sure. And I don't have the answer at all.

My dilemma:
DS just moved school and is busy making new friends. A lot of stuff is happening via video games... and to fit in / have half a chance he will want to have that 16+ or 18+ game.

Or he hangs out with the other strange kid that is still in the dark ages ane be "marked forever" (=his words not mine).

Mine don’t so you are not on your own OP

I allow mine the next one up, so at 12 can watch 15s and from 15 allowed to watch anything. If being asked for something more than one above then I check common sense media and try to get a general consensus from there.

@Ylvamoon

It's a difficult one for sure. And I don't have the answer at all. My dilemma: DS just moved school and is busy making new friends. A lot of stuff is happening via video games... and to fit in / have half a chance he will want to have that 16+ or 18+ game. Or he hangs out with the other strange kid that is still in the dark ages ane be "marked forever" (=his words not mine).

“Marked forever”…. that’s so sweet! Though I’m sure he doesn’t think so.

My DD will be 15 next week, she watches most things now but can’t cope with watching certain things. For example she loves gogglebox but if it’s an episode with naked attraction or something on we have to fast forward 😂 she’s a terrible scaredy cat too so horror films are a no-no!

DS is 13 and has been finally allowed GTA recently after asking for about 2 years. I found that once he was allowed it he didn’t actually want to play it that much! He loved watching Line of Duty, loved Benidorm last year during lockdown. He doesn’t actually watch much TV, again he hasn’t watched any horror films.

Interesting thread.

I've allowed my 11 year old DS to watch some 15 rated films. The sort of which would definitely be a 12 if they'd just cut the swearing out a little. Incidentally,
we watched Men in Black the other day (PG) and I was astonished at how much swearing there was!

I don't allow my kids to watch / play any of those things. They are 10 and 7. We have watched the occasional 12 rated film once we've watched it first. Also like common sense media for guidance. Not all kids are doing these things.

@Needhelp101

Interesting thread.

I've allowed my 11 year old DS to watch some 15 rated films. The sort of which would definitely be a 12 if they'd just cut the swearing out a little. Incidentally,
we watched Men in Black the other day (PG) and I was astonished at how much swearing there was!

Same With a 9 and 5 year old and thought wow this is so 90’s!! The casual swearing id totally forgotten it

It depends on the content and why it has the age rating.

I found that DD at 10 was often mature enough to see 12/12As which had a more complex storyline and the age rating was to a point where a good discussion about the point and watching it together meant she would understand it.

When she was 13 we moved in 15 movies but again depending on content. Similar set-up, we had to know the movie or watch it together.

@Figgygal PG in the 90s was a different kettle of fish!
Reminds me also of watching The Mask and the amount of smoking in it, you'd never see that today.
Quite literally, "Smooooking!"