I’ve seen it happen before.
Parents and ‘guardians’ taking children under the age of MPAA’s recommendations into the movie theatre. I know plenty of people, Christian’s not excluded, who let their children watch films and play video games with complete disregard of the rating.
But, would you classify it as, ‘child abuse?’
At the showing of the R-rated film “End of Watch,” Stephen Simon, who produced “What Dreams May Come” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” spotted a women with her five-year old boy in the audience. Here’s what he had to say:
“It was very violent and very profane from frame one. There were people getting beat up and shot. I thought, this is child abuse.”
Simon not only decided to confront the woman, but he also called Child Protective Services! Of course, Child Protective Services couldn’t do anything and suggested he speak with the manager of the theatre about warning parents.
Clearly, the responsibility falls on the ticket buyer. The MPAA rates movie content to serve their potential audience, not to police who can and cannot see the film; just as cable companies are not responsible for who is using the television connected to their service.
None the less, I found this story to be quite intriguing, as I know many parents who hardly think about ratings, while a Hollywood producer was scandalized enough to call CPS.
Shouldn’t the same concern and forethought be placed on films that are rated PG-13, too?
Are you dogmatic about movie ratings?
Should we be?
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Marcus Williamson says
Images last for a long time – maybe it’s because i’m visual that I’m saying this. Honestly, parents who take their kids to see Rated R movies, without having seen them first, are…
1. very selfish – they want to see it themselves and oh, wait, i have to also take care of my 5 year old kid. eh, i’ll just tell him to cover his ears or close his eyes during scenes i think are inappropriate. (like that works anyway) – hire a babysitter. problem fixed.
2. potentially committing a level of child abuse – “forcing” a kid to do something, whether s/he wants to or not, is unwise and borderline child abuse. i’d think. why take a kid to see something rated r? doesn’t make sense at all. let them be kids and worry about kid stuff. build forts or something. be the adult and worry about adult stuff. build forts or something…jk.
now there are some rated r movies that don’t need to be “rated r,” but a simple check it over never hurt anyone. because our generation is the way it is, we are growing our kids up quicker than we grew up, which, whether we like it or not, translates over to the real world.
(why am i writing such a long post btw – shouldn’t i just be saying “coola” or “i can dig it?”)
video games are the same way. mmmm. we are giving kids temptations they shouldn’t even be thinking about at their age. they are so prone to act out what they see…even if you tell them not to do it. then there is peer pressure because, oh, jared’s parents let him watch or play this, and oh you’re not the cool parent, cause jared gets to do anything he wants, so i’m going to hang with jared and play and watch stuff that…well….yeah.
sorry, i have questions to answer:
1. yes. i think the wise thing is to watch something before you let your kids watch it. unless you’re absolutely sure of the content. google is awesome. you can’t always try to toughen up your kid.
2. nah…not me…am I? ugh…maybe?
3. Be wise.
Eric Dye says
Coola. 😉
Karen Rainwater says
I take the ratings on a case by case basis, as far as whether my child can see it or not. The default position in our home is G or PG, for my almost 11 year old. But, there are inconsistencies in the way ratings are applied. I have seen PG that seemed a little adult for the rating and PG-13 and R that left me unsure as to why the rating. And, yet, right now I can’t remember any examples.
I either check out a detailed review of the movie, or watch it myself when considering whether to let my child watch it. And, I just really don’t depend on the actual rating as the final say.
I do believe that a consistent exposure to certain content does constitute child abuse. But, it would be difficult to depend on the state to define that. I suspect that when it becomes genuine abuse, there are other elements of abuse in the home as well.
It is difficult to define the abuse because there may be certain scenes in a movie that in one context is a valuable teaching opportunity, but in another context psychologically damaging. One such example of a teaching opportunity might be scenes from concentration camps etc from WWII. Although, sometimes I am uncomfortable with the stacks of murdered people, mostly Jews, because of the dehumanizing effect on seeing people in that context.
Clearly, this is a complicated subject. One very clear fact is that images and movie story telling is very powerful, and shouldn’t we always exercise care where powerful things and children are concerned?
Eric Dye says
Indeed! Great stuff, Karen. Thank you for your insights!
April says
I am VERY careful about what my son sees. He sees enough that he shouldn’t while at his dad’s house so while at mine, the rules are a lot more strict. When he starts to complain, I ask him why I do that and he responds that I do it to protect him. We then go into why he needs protection from those types of things and he understands it better, of course, he’s 11, so he can reason more now. I totally believe that we should be careful what we allow our children to watch, listen to, and play for so many reasons, the biggest being that it can desensitize them to some cruel things. I personally check pluggedin.com for pretty almost every movie I take my son to because I’ve found that even some PG ratings should be higher than they are.
Eric Dye says
YES! We need to do a post on pluggedin.com and some other websites I used regularly to check even PG movies.
April says
That would be a great post for Church Mag! I know that this is something Christian parents struggle with every day.
John Wilkerson says
Ah…the good old rating controversy! I don’t trust ratings. Better to read a review of the movie or see it yourself to determine if the content is appropriate for your child. Keep in mind, Jesus Camp got a PG-13 rating for “some discussions of mature subject matter” from the MPAA. What was the mature subject matter? Abortion. No profanity, no sex, no drug or tobacco use, no physical violence. Then you have zombie movies where blood and guts are flying everywhere and they only get a PG-13 rating because there was only 1 f-bomb and no nudity. Whaaaa!? Makes my brain hurt to think about it. Bottom line: either watch it first or read a review from a trusted source. I recommend pluggedin.com and commonsensemedia.org
Eric Dye says
Ta-da! My second most favorite site to check movies, commonsensemedia.org 10pts+ for you!
I don’t trust the rating system, either, John, that’s why I would NEVER let my 5-year old watch a rated “R” movie.
Adam Shields says
It is not perfect, but I regularly use http://kids-in-mind.com to look at the content of movies.
And while most of the time I do agree that parents should be more careful about what they show their kids, I think involving Child Protective Services for all kinds of minor things (and I think this is a minor thing) takes away their time from actual crimes against children.
I know a parent that was arrested for child endagerment for stepping outside of her car to take a picture of her child, while her infant son was sleeping in the car. She was never more than 10 steps away and the car was not running and it was not an overly warm day.
Total amount of time out of the car less than 10 minutes.
Parents need to have some discretion, even if they make bad choices.
Eric Dye says
Thanks for the link, Adam!
Chris says
1st of all, before I even bring up the subject on how bad your parenting is if you do this. Think at least about other people. Your taking a child that can barely sit through kid shows. To an ADULT movie, & is gonna scream and cry through the whole thing. So think about the other people who did it the right way, & found a babysitter.
2nd of all how can you be ok, as a responsible parent, assuming you are responsible, with taking your young child to an R, PG-13, or even most PG movies. Kids are sponges at that age. They shouldn’t be soaking in bad language, people getting their heads blown off, & other crazy acts. & then you wonder why little billy is getting in trouble at school, & is acting out.
Also if you are ok with taking your YOUNG child to a movie like that. Then odds are you letting them see all that stuff around you anyways, & you suck as a parent. Just think back to the first “bad” movie you snuck into, or happen to see. Horror or anything else. & how scared you where, and how it affected you. Then you take today’s media, times that by 100. & you think your child is going to be ok? What’s wrong with you?
I wouldn’t call this abuse, but DEFINITELY neglect. I question your parenting, I question you as a person, & I also question your life. Christian or not, we all know that it’s not ok to do this. PERIOD!
Eric Dye says
True.
Scott Thomson says
Excellent post followed by excellent comments.
A five year old at an R rated movie is a bit extreme and something that I would not condone. However, that being said I do not strictly follow the MPAA ratings for my family. For me the MPAA ratings are simply a starting point for deciding if a film is appropriate or not.
I will typically consider:
– the MPAA rating
– an in-depth online review from a website such as pluggedin.com
– discuss the film with a friend who has already seen the movie
– the official trailer
– preview the movie
Of course I’m not always able to do all of the above, so if I’m not sure the movie is appropriate I will error on the side of caution and not allow my children to watch it.
Eric Dye says
A great rule to follow:
“…if I’m not sure the movie is appropriate I will error on the side of caution and not allow my children to watch it.”
James Cooper says
In the UK we have set ages for the top level of films (15 & 18), if you’re under those – you shouldn’t get in. We also have 12A (basically the same as PG-13).
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) – the UK’s MPAA, is very pro-active and has a great site which gives content explanation for every film/DVD/video game it certifies: http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ (also details of the UK’s film levels on there).
It also runs a site specifically for parents wanting extra info about the suitability of films/DVDs for their kids: http://www.pbbfc.co.uk/ (there’s even iPhone apps by them!)
The BBFC gives a few words comment on the film and then you can get more info about the items. The classic one was for Finding Nemo (which was a ‘U’) was: Contains mild peril !!!
We often get things a week or two behind the USA but there’s a ‘coming soon’ section – it their site might be very handy for parents around the world.
Eric Dye says
Hey, that’s cool!
“Contains mild peril” — LOL! Great stuff, James, as always.
ThatGuyKC says
I’m surprised the Hollywood producer is the one who stepped up, but I’m glad he did. Taking a small child to a movie like that can really scar them.
Parents who are that selfish and irresponsible should suffer consequences. I’m not saying their kids should be taken away, but something ought to be done.
Eric Dye says
Right.
Of course, the theater could have tried to be more pro-active in upholding the rating system, too. The again, that puts them in a touch spot. :-/
Jack says
To be fair, the “R” rating says “accompanied by parent or guardian”, so that somewhat absolves the theater manager of responsibility in the matter with the child being accompanied by a presumed-adult.
So, it comes down to parents exercising responsibility, such the horror that it is. Children may be too young to understand what they see/hear, but that doesn’t mean they don’t absorb it anyway and try to process it as best they can (which probably isn’t very well).
And I agree with all of the above-mentioned reasonings, etc. One day, should I ever have kids, I would hope to have all of this in mind as I go crazy trying to be a good parent.
Eric Dye says
Excellent point —> “To be fair, the “R” rating says “accompanied by parent or guardian”, so that somewhat absolves the theater manager of responsibility in the matter with the child being accompanied by a presumed-adult.” 🙂
Jay Caruso says
This is silly.
First of all, we’re allowing what is a very subjective system dictate what our kids watch.
For example, I allowed my son at the age of 11 to see ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ It was violent, featured cursing, etc. But I wanted him to gain some sense of insight into the realities of war that didn’t exist in the ream of Xbox.
That being said, I would not allow him to see ‘Wedding Crashers’ because the subject matter is clearly meant for adults.
When I was 11 and my brother was 6, my parents took us to see ‘First Blood.’ It was violent and there was profanity. My parents were more progressive in that regard. But I also know they wouldn’t take me and my brother to see ‘Scarface.’ Two movies that were rated R but in totally different contexts.
By the same token, a movie like ‘Drag Me To Hell’ actually received a rating of PG-13. Sam Raimi pulled it off by not having two things that are almost staples in horror films:
1. Sex
2. Profanity
The movie was violent, but not super bloody. But I wouldn’t allow an 11 year old near it.
The other issue that often comes up in these debates is the issue of sex and nudity vis a vis violence. Some argue, “Why is it ok to see movies where things are being blown up, people are being shot etc. but it’s so bad for a movie to have nudity or sex?”
I have answered it like this: “When you see somebody get shot, stabbed, blown up…whatever. It’s all fake. Nobody is getting hurt. When a woman takes off her clothes, that’s real. And it’s somebody’s daughter.”
Eric Dye says
Wow.
I wanted to argue with you through the entire comment … and then your last line was like, “BOOM!”
Good feedback, Jay, as always!
Eli says
Some lively debate on this one. Personally I don’t pay attention to ratings. In North America at least they are completely arbitrary. I currently use the app Kids-In-Mind to check films out but anything that gives a detailed record of content is good. Beyond the broad strokes like violence and sex as a parent I think you should be considering what your child is sensitive to. My oldest for example is more sensitive then his younger brother and I allow what they watch accordingly. I have an Early Childhood Education and I see children overexposed to subject matter all the time. Even in many “children’s” movies. In my view children are often asked to grow up to fast and on the altar of adult convenience, and this is a form of child abuse.
Eric Dye says
Nice feedback, Eli. I really appreciate these comments from parents and Early Childhood Education. 🙂
I, too, don’t go by ratings and check these various websites to get a real feel as to what the movie will be communicating to my “little sponges.” Once they see it, they can never “un”seen it.
Chris v says
I took my son to see deadpool on the night it came out. He is nine. Great kid all great grades, science olympiad, no record of violence, and doesn’t cuss. One of his favorite marvel chars is deadpool so i thought it would maybe be a bloody Avengers. Nope, lol it was funny but completely inappropriate so i thought maybe one bad scene here and there cover his eyes. Nope my mistake totally inappropriate whole way through and even though him and i were laughing almost the whole movie i knew it was not a good movie i could ever take him again too until he was older. I’m ok with fantasy violence but not ok witj realistic and we mostly stick to minecraft and more mental motivation movies or games. My ex-wife wants to take me to court for child abuse etc etc. She also refuses for him to go to disney and discovery cove fla now bc she feels im the equivalency of a drug dealer. I understand i was wrong to take him to the movie and should of made a better parental call and even maybe talked with her first, but now i feel my son is being punished for me taking him to deadpool….. Is this right? Or is this taking me to court and denying his trip to fla do you all feel justified? I just wanted honest opinnions. Blunt is fine. Thank you God bless.
Yes i was one also my father and i saw predator together and aliens. Lol it was awesome but i do remember aliens was really scary… Id never change the experience with my dad though. He was always there for me and i knew he was my hero.
Rob says
Right now I’m debating whether to let our 10 year old watch 13 hours, she’s seen zombie movies and knows they aren’t real and deals pretty good with zombie movies, she saw we had rented 13 hours for me and dad then asked if she can see it too, so I’m not sure. It’s more violent because of war and gun shootings but true story and could be used as a lesson so not sure which is better, barbie, the Bratz where the show nothing but bad attitudes and fake friendships or some real life stuff with real war stories lol.