What age for watching the soaps?

[aquos]

My 10yo dd is desperate to watch the soaps. She loves drama, tragedy and high emotion viewing. Dh and I watch Corro and we've said she can watch when she's 11. The one she really wants to watch is Eastenders, I've not watched it for years, but I'm thinking 12 would be about right for that.

As with everything else she says ALL her friends watch ALL the soaps and I am being too strict. Am I? What do you allow?

Mine don't and they are 12, 10 and younger.

my ds (7) watches neighbours and sometimes emmerdale although he doesnt actually follow the storylines, he just likes watching the same people and is more about familiarity than what is actually happening.

he also watches home and away but not as much as neighbours, he loves that

I don't watch any myself, so dc not particulary interested yet...
If ALL her friends watch, she could keep up on the BBC website (I had a friend do that just to keep up with colleagues without wasting his time!)

My daughter (11) is only interested in Hollyoaks and has been watching for as long as I can remember

Yes, I think secondary school age would be a good time.

I personally watched them as a kid ever since I can remember but I think the story lines are a bit harder than they used to be.

I stopped watching the soaps a few years ago though, as I personally think they've gone downhill.

I loathe all of them with a passion, and am having the same battles with my 12 year-old. I know she often has a sneaky watch of them with her older cousins. I'll be following this thread!

My 10yo is absolutely obsessed with Corrie, so much so, she harasses me for Inside soap mag every week!
And she makes me listen whilst she reads out all the corrie stories
She's not to fussed on the other soaps & she tends to get confused between all the characters of the different soaps and then confuse me by talk of plots using the wrong character

No one follows the soaps in this house.

I think DD2 reads up the plots on the web sometimes. I know she also reads X factor gossip.

She's just 12 and I think she's done so since Y6 when some of her friends started watching them.

I turn a blind eye, I know she likes to fit in and I'd much rather she read about them and watched the odd clip than spend hours watching the turgid whole things.

I've just read this with interest because i mentioned to my SIL that my dd has no concept of real tv that isnt animated. If its not cbeebies she just turns away. She's 4.

My SIL then told me her 5 year old watches emmerdale and Corrie and i initially thought thats not too bad they are "lighter" than eastenders but then it dawned in me that lately there has been a graphic DV storyline in corrie. I wouldnt want my dd watching anything like that until secondary age.

I think 75 is about the right age - the age of slippers and cocoa and mindnumbing crap on the telly - life is too short - don't let them get into the soaps - soap addicts can be such a bore.....