Minors & Media

[Harley]

Why do you think it is that minors are prohibited from movies that are deemed inappropriate, songs and tv shows are banned (or bleeped) from using anything explicit or graphic but anyone can walk into the Young Adult section of a bookstore and buy a book with more F words than an Eminem song?
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[Blondie Bear]

Because any attempt at "rating" books is seen (rightly, IMHO) as censorship and fought tooth and nail. Record companies gave in to the PMRC, the FCC regulates the airwaves, but so far nobody's managed a wholesale rating system for books. It's still (mostly) assumed that parents regulate what kids read.

 

[randiann]

Thank goodness my parents never kept me from reading anything. I was reading steven king before I was 10. But then again, I was an odd child.


Censorship is wrong. Even if it has a million f bombs (which is NOT a sign of good writing) at least the kid is reading. I fully support reading anything and everything you can get your hands on. And it's the parents job to make sure it's appropriate. Really I support that viewpoint for any type of media be it books, tv, movies, or music.
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[BuffyElevated]

Thank goodness my parents never kept me from reading anything. I was reading steven king before I was 10. But then again, I was an odd child.


Censorship is wrong. Even if it has a million f bombs (which is NOT a sign of good writing) at least the kid is reading. I fully support reading anything and everything you can get your hands on. And it's the parents job to make sure it's appropriate. Really I support that viewpoint for any type of media be it books, tv, movies, or music.
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Very true, Randi... My oldest daughter is 8, and I encourage her to read anytime I can. Right now she's only reading stuff like Beverly Cleary books or Babysitters Club, but as she gets older I know I'll probably have to monitor her reading material a little more carefully.

 

[likefireworks]

I think that books should come with some kind of rating. It doesn't have to be that kids under a certain age are forbidden from buying them, but it would be useful to help parents to know what is appropriate for their child. I do believe that parents should be very involved in guiding and monitoring their child's choices in music, movies, tv, and books. But ratings should exist as guidelines to help parents with this.

 

[prophecygrrl]

It's funny, if my parents monitored what I read, I don't think I'd read at all. And I love to read.

 

[Blondie Bear]

I think that books should come with some kind of rating. It doesn't have to be that kids under a certain age are forbidden from buying them, but it would be useful to help parents to know what is appropriate for their child. I do believe that parents should be very involved in guiding and monitoring their child's choices in music, movies, tv, and books. But ratings should exist as guidelines to help parents with this.

I disagree. I think the ratings system is far too political as it is, and all I have to do is look at the many many many attempts to ban books for dumb reasons to strongly oppose any sort of attempt to put a rating on books. Who would get to decide? Would they then get to bar children under a certain age from certain areas of the library or the bookstore? If I had been required to read within my "age range," I would have been bored to tears 90% of the time; I started reading so early that I was reading at least 4 grades above my level by the time I was in first grade.

In my opinion, if someone wants to know what their kids are reading, they should read it, too. And then talk to their kids about it. I also think this is what we should do with movies and music, as well, rather than sticking numbers on them that don't really explain the content or reasons for those numbers.

 

[likefireworks]

In my opinion, if someone wants to know what their kids are reading, they should read it, too. And then talk to their kids about it. I also think this is what we should do with movies and music, as well, rather than sticking numbers on them that don't really explain the content or reasons for those numbers.

Ratings include reasons for the rating (V for Violence, L for language.. etc).. Maybe it would help for those to be even more comprehensive, to help in guidance.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Ratings include reasons for the rating (V for Violence, L for language.. etc).. Maybe it would help for those to be even more comprehensive, to help in guidance.

But they're not always specific enough to make an informed decision. Also, lots of moviemakers these days are whittling down the sex, violence, and language in their movies JUST enough to get a PG-13 rating to get the teens in the theaters.

I suppose I generally react badly to having anybody tell me--in any way--what I should not read/watch/listen to or what I should not allow my (hypothetical) children to read/watch/listen to. 😛 And as an aspiring author and literary critic, I generally react badly to any sort of censorship.

 

[prophecygrrl]

Ratings include reasons for the rating (V for Violence, L for language.. etc).. Maybe it would help for those to be even more comprehensive, to help in guidance.

But can a book really be judged by things like language, violence, or sex? The Catcher in the Rye was restricted for decades just because the protagonist said "goddamn" a lot, lol. And Huckleberry Finn, for example, has the N-word in it. Recently one publisher tried to exclude the N-word from it, basically sanitizing the context and history associated with that book. These novels are considered classics now and are taught in nearly every public high school, but the line of thinking behind banning The Catcher in the Rye all those years ago and trying to change the language of Huck Finn even today is still, considered by most people, to be very wrong. Even if it is in the interest of children. I think people underestimate young people and the concepts we're able to grasp. I think these stories should be told in the way they are meant to, without restrictions on access or content.

 

[Marisa]

I don't understand it sometimes. I mean lets be honest just because you block it from teens doesn't mean they won't find a way to do what they want. I was always confused on some of the ratings logic.

I have noticed though that the US is much more strict with their TV ratings for example than some other countries.

 

[randiann]

Farenheit 451 anyone?


No no no no no censorship. No ratings. If I haven't read it/watched it first, or at least got an honest opinion from someone who has, my kid isn't watching it. My mom never censored anything I read. If there was an issue, we discussed the issue. She never sidestepped anything, be it sex, drugs, violence, etc. I'm with blondie in that if I was made to read from what was "age appropriate" when I was a kid, I would have been bored to tears. I had quite literally read most every book in my school library by the time I was 9. I read books like uncle tom's cabin when I was in third to fourth grade. I read steven king, vc andrews, and hundreds of babysitters club/nancy drew/boxcar kids etc etc etc. I read and still do read everything. And if I didn't have the freedom to read everything when I was younger, I wouldn't have such an affinity for books now. I watched kids movies right alongside pg13 and r rated movies, and we always talked about them and what was going on instead of pretending issues didn't exist, and that is one of the things about my childhood i value most, and something I try to do with my own son. No he's not watching nightmare on elm street at the age of four, or anything like that. Bit I'm not going to hide him from the world. If he has a question, it gets answered. It's in an age appropriate format, and in a way he can understand, but there's no deception when it comes to my kids asking questions.

On a side note, it is hard to do this as a parent. About six months ago, the tv was on, and svu or something lame like that came on. Something that's supposed to be ok on tv, right? Well it dealt with rape and children, and as I was not paying attention, my 10 year old step son saw some of it and asked me what rape was. I think that was about one of the hardest conversations to have but I think it's important to explain instead of just saying "oh ignore that" or "i'll tell you when you are older."
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[prophecygrrl]

On a side note, it is hard to do this as a parent. About six months ago, the tv was on, and svu or something lame like that came on. Something that's supposed to be ok on tv, right? Well it dealt with rape and children, and as I was not paying attention, my 10 year old step son saw some of it and asked me what rape was. I think that was about one of the hardest conversations to have but I think it's important to explain instead of just saying "oh ignore that" or "i'll tell you when you are older."

I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in fourth grade, but when it came to the issue of rape I didn't know what it was. I don't really remember who it was, but I remember trying to ask an adult about it and never getting a straight answer. It was so frustrating, and I don't really blame anybody for not telling me, cause yeesh that is a difficult conversation. But still, being told to just "ignore that" wasn't exactly protecting me from anything either. And that goes for a lot of things- sex, violence, sexuality, etc.

 

[Blondie Bear]

Yeah, with my reading level being so far beyond my maturity level, there were a lot of things I didn't understand in my reading material. I really wish that, instead of telling me I couldn't read it (which didn't stop me, btw), my parents had discussed it with me. I suppose that's one of the pitfalls of growing up in a very sheltered Southern Baptist household; some topics were just verboten. If I ever have kids (and that's a big IF), I definitely plan to use the Randiann Philosophy of Parenting. 😀

 

[zobothehobo]

As another person who's reading level passed grade level when I was young... it would have sucked if I couldn't read adult books. My favorite book when I was in the fifth grade was The Color Purple. And now that I think about it, it still kinda is my favorite book. I understand that not everyone in my class in fifth grade was ready for that book... and I get why my teacher freaked out a bit when she saw it in my bookbag.. But I was and I loved it. And I was reading books for Language Arts class with rather graphic death scenes... I wish I could remember the name of the book... but I remember reading a book for Language Arts and talking with my reading group about the graphic nature of the death of the main character's mother.

In my opinion, censorship is wrong. I hate it when it's done in movies... I hate it when it's done in songs... I hate it when it's done in television and I would really hate it if it was done in books. If the artist wanted you to see/hear the material censored, they would have written/produced it that way. Censoring any literature or piece of art shows a complete lack of respect for the artist and their job.

 

[Taake]

In my opinion, if someone wants to know what their kids are reading, they should read it, too. And then talk to their kids about it. I also think this is what we should do with movies and music, as well, rather than sticking numbers on them that don't really explain the content or reasons for those numbers.

Couldn't agree more. This is what I do because certainly there are things that I think children might be too young to read but that's based on my own sense of morality and world-view, a far too individual thing to be put into the hands of some outside operation who may or may not differ wildly in their opinions and rate things in ways you couldn't disagree more completely with.

Don't put your trust in what others say, put it in your own mind and self.
Censorship has too many dark sides.

I really wish that, instead of telling me I couldn't read it (which didn't stop me, btw), my parents had discussed it with me.

Excatly the way to go I think. Don't underestimate your child, discuss and explain things to them. If you feel somethings out of their maturity level explain why.

I read "A thousand and one nights" when I was waaay too young but my grandma didn't tear the book from my hands. Instead she tried to explain it... made a world of difference I believe.