Did your parents/do you censor the media for your kids?

sillysally

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#41
Some stuff, yes.

Never books--if I was interested in reading it I was allowed to read it. I LOVED Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! Movies were different. I was not allow to see R rated until I was in high school. I remember babysitting for my cousin when I was in middle school and my uncle told me I could watch whatever movie I wanted. So I selected a rated R movie--Cape Fear-and scared the living crap out of myself-lol.

As far as TV-eh, we didn't have cable where we lived and we didn't get satellite until I was in high school anyway. I can see not allowing a young kid to watch some of the shows I watch-there is no reason for a small child to see Criminal Minds, for example. I love the show but there are some scenes that I find upsetting, and honestly, I don't know how I would turn torture into a teachable moment.

My mom did try to sensor my music, as I was very into Marilyn Manson in high school. We settled on her telling me that of I wanted to listen to it, she was not going to buy it for me. I thought that was fair.
 

Fran101

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#42
I can't imagine BANNING things like south park from a 13 year old. From a child that doesn't KNOW what the words or humor is truly about...sure. but a 13 year old can know and understand the truth behind this stuff if they are explained.

By 13.. I'd already heard the talks.. sex talk, drug talk, culture talk, politeness talk, religion talk etc..etc.. and I certainly had friends that talked about all these things.
so while south park was frowned upon and my parents spoke to us about WHY they didn't like it.. they certainly didn't ban it. I mean, at the end of the day, at 13 the real world (school, friends, etc..) exposed me to worse anyway.

and banning it probably would've made me want to watch it even if I didn't in the first place lol

I mean, what harm is hearing a joke about something if you know better than to repeat or believe it?
what's the harm about hearing all that crude cursing if you know better than to repeat?
If anything, the exposure is good for having a chance to explain the themes to a teen that age. 13 is reasonably old enough to understand the humor and why it's so ridiculous and wrong. I UNDERSTOOD WHY south park was funny and thought it was VERY funny but certainly knew better than to think it was anything more than entertainment, and bad entertainment at that.

Same thing goes for movies. I mean, I remember watching a few movies with partying,drinking, cursing and sex at 13.
.. I knew more about blood alcohol, drunk driving, alcohol limits, effects (both long and short) of alcohol..stds, condoms, safe sex, what sex meant etc.. than MOST ADULT lol not to mention a few years of finishing school under my belt so who cares? Since I knew better it became just what it was supposed to be..ENTERTAINMENT. Not a learning experience.

I mean of course it depends on the 13 year old. I would probably block the show from a 13 year old that mimicked, made those kind of inappropriate jokes, cursed already etc.. no need to give them new material.
But a kid that listened, seemed to really be old/mature enough to understand what you are telling them about curing, culture, religion, drugs and other themes on that show.. then I certainly wouldn't not allow it.

Just my 2 cents.
 

Romy

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#43
I never wanted to watch MTV as a kid. Tried watching it as an adult and remembered why. lol

My daughter likes classical music (she calls it princess music) and hymns. If I try to put on any more recent music on the radio she covers her ears and complains. We'll see what Sam likes as he gets older. So far he's a really big fan of Johnny Cash and old music from the British isles. And ballet.

ETA:
I mean of course it depends on the 13 year old. I would probably block the show from a 13 year old that mimicked, made those kind of inappropriate jokes, cursed already etc.. no need to give them new material.
But a kid that listened, seemed to really be old/mature enough to understand what you are telling them about curing, culture, religion, drugs and other themes on that show.. then I certainly wouldn't not allow it.

Just my 2 cents.
:hail: and that applies to children of any age. My daughter is disturbed by some cartoon violence that her same age cousin handles just fine. The cousin doesn't mimic it or anything and understands it's just pretend, so there's no need to restrict her from it. Usually if I know something is going to scare my daughter I just tell her, "that movie is pretty intense" and she wants to do something else instead because it's not something she enjoys anyway.
 
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#44
I think my mom had a good idea of what my maturity level was, and what I could handle at various ages. I never remember being overwhelmed or frightened by anything I read or watched, but I also don't ever remember not being allowed to watch/read something that I wanted to. I think by the time I had a desire to watch more adult things, I was mature enough to handle it.
 

Fran101

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#45
And we all loved classical music, watched the discovery channel and NOVA science now more than anything else at that age. ALL ON OUR OWN FREE WILL!

Soo..it's not like the liberty to watch south park or MTV or bad movies poisoned our taste on entertainment either lol
 

Fran101

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#47
Oh, but I SO banned Barney. I mean... just look at him!

Eaauuurrgh.
For my parents it was Zaboomafoo (sp?) It was this talking lemur that would teach kids about animals. I LOVED IT!! but boy was his voice high pitched and annoying and I would sing those songs ALL. THE. TIME.

One day they told me the show was canceled and I was so upset lol looked it up the other day.. it didn't get cancelled at all! LOL
 

NicoleLJ

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#48
My "mother" was a religious fanatic so she was extreme in her control exspecially after she got out onto the farm. Growing up it had to all be G rate stuff, then it became only musicals and disney movies, then the music was only allowed to be religious music and so on. No radio, no news, no cable, nothing but religious movies or music when she was at her most fanatical. Even books were only allowed to be church books.

With my kids I did control, and will, to a certian extent what they watch and listen too and read but only to a certian degree. Too much control can be just as bad or worse then none at all.
 

Saeleofu

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#49
And we all loved classical music, watched the discovery channel and NOVA science now more than anything else at that age. ALL ON OUR OWN FREE WILL!
SAME HERE! I think banning or prohibiting things, censoring thing, etc makes people want it more - YOU CAN'T TELL ME NO, I'M GOING TO SEE IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!

I loved science and learning shows. Still do. We're watching some BBC animal series in my vertebrate class, and nobody likes it - but I love it! Reading Rainbow, NOVA, Wild Discovery, Bill Nye, Jack Hannah, etc - loved them then and still do now. And I've always moved Baroque music.
 

Fran101

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#50
My biggest pet peeve is parents trying to get the media to bend over backwards and censor itself for their kids.

Option A (In my opinion, the better option) Teach your kids about these issues/content so when your kid sees/hears this stuff from the media..you have a kid who knows about these issues and isn't easily influenced.

or Option B. Don't allow your kids to see it.

But dammit.. do NOT expect the media to change itself for your kid. Sorry, it's not going to happen. Marketing, media, etc.. it's ALWAYS going to be around your child from cereal boxes to tv shows to commercials to billboards, wether you like it or not. You can either spend your time attacking one thing at a time "Oh gosh my child saw BREASTS and the word SEX on the cover of Maxim at the supermarket! BAN MAGAZINES FROM BEING IN THE AISLES!" "BILLBOARD WITH A GUN ON IT!" "PEOPLE CURSING IN A MOVIE!! HOW DARE THEY?!" "TOYS IN FAST FOOD!" which is of course, a losing battle.

..OR you can either teach your kid how to deal with the marketing/media storm that is going to try to influence them their ENTIRE LIVES or do a better job at keeping it away from them.

AKA: It isn't McDonalds job to make their restaurant less enticing and not have toys or whatever. It's the parents job to teach their kids about nutrition and feed them properly.
 

Romy

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#52
For my parents it was Zaboomafoo (sp?) It was this talking lemur that would teach kids about animals. I LOVED IT!! but boy was his voice high pitched and annoying and I would sing those songs ALL. THE. TIME.

One day they told me the show was canceled and I was so upset lol looked it up the other day.. it didn't get cancelled at all! LOL
:rofl1: but so sad at the same time! They still show it on TV, Aurelia loves it and I don't mind it so much. I just never let her get started on Barney because it's a known irritant. If it was an established favorite I'd just find a way to deal with it.
 

sillysally

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#53
My biggest pet peeve is parents trying to get the media to bend over backwards and censor itself for their kids.

Option A (In my opinion, the better option) Teach your kids about these issues/content so when your kid sees/hears this stuff from the media..you have a kid who knows about these issues and isn't easily influenced.

or Option B. Don't allow your kids to see it.

But dammit.. do NOT expect the media to change itself for your kid. Sorry, it's not going to happen. Marketing, media, etc.. it's ALWAYS going to be around your child from cereal boxes to tv shows to commercials to billboards, wether you like it or not. You can either spend your time attacking one thing at a time "Oh gosh my child saw BREASTS and the word SEX on the cover of Maxim at the supermarket! BAN MAGAZINES FROM BEING IN THE AISLES!" "BILLBOARD WITH A GUN ON IT!" "PEOPLE CURSING IN A MOVIE!! HOW DARE THEY?!" "TOYS IN FAST FOOD!" which is of course, a losing battle.

..OR you can either teach your kid how to deal with the marketing/media storm that is going to try to influence them their ENTIRE LIVES or do a better job at keeping it away from them.

AKA: It isn't McDonalds job to make their restaurant less enticing and not have toys or whatever. It's the parents job to teach their kids about nutrition and feed them properly.
See, I think it's fine to have some guidelines on what can be shown on certain channels at certain times. I don't want to see graphic sex scenes on regular network TV, don't want to hear constant swearing, etc. There is plenty of that on cable or Netflix if I want to see it. Forget the kids, there is some stuff that I simply don't need to see.
 

sillysally

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#54
:rofl1: but so sad at the same time! They still show it on TV, Aurelia loves it and I don't mind it so much. I just never let her get started on Barney because it's a known irritant. If it was an established favorite I'd just find a way to deal with it.
DH and I have already agreed that should we have kids The Doodlebops will not be watched in our home-lol.
 

BostonBanker

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#55
Even if it was still music videos and I didn't have to worry about my kid watching other crap they put on there...have you SEEN what the put in music videos nowadays? They either look like a horror movie or a porno.
Nope, I can't stand the sort of music they make videos for, for the most part. But back then, the freakiest thing in a video was Sinead O'Connor's head.
 

Fran101

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#56
See, I think it's fine to have some guidelines on what can be shown on certain channels at certain times. I don't want to see graphic sex scenes on regular network TV, don't want to hear constant swearing, etc. There is plenty of that on cable or Netflix if I want to see it. Forget the kids, there is some stuff that I simply don't need to see.
Oh yea. I don't mean like certain channels or anything, if it's a tv show or channel marketed for children, then yes, there should be certain things left out/excluded depending on what parents do not want their kids to see.. fine.
and I'm fine with the way things on regular tv regarding swearing and sex. It's understandable and yea, even regardless of children, I don't want to watch porn or hear curse words left and right on every channel and show. I like the rating system, I like that there IS a rating system. There are shows I know will feature sex and cursing and violence and shows I know won't.. I'm fine with that.

but what I mean is if an adult show wants to feature ADULT themes (sex scenes, cursing, etc..) then by all means, they should be able to.
There is a rating system and a warning with rating (and appr. age) before shows start.. so if you don't want your child to see it, change the channel. Don't expect the show to change.
 

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#57
DH and I have already agreed that should we have kids The Doodlebops will not be watched in our home-lol.
So much silliness, sure the shows are politically correct but what do they bring to the table I ask? Have we sacrificed educational for political correctness I wander?

No but leave my American horror story : asylum & TWD alone!!! I have seen parents online complaining about those uhh ... Don't thy air after kids are supposed to be in bed anyway? & excuse me but don't most dish boxes have parental controls? I also hate when they show a Friday the 13th movie even if its on cable (not network tv) they cut out the good stuff (the sex, some of the voile dr & the swearing!) I mean come on its rated R ppl! I thought thstninam we had a rating system for!

What I'm surprised is what AHS: asylum gets away with on basic cable.
 

crazedACD

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#58
My parents didn't censor much, I got to watch Jurassic Park, horror movies, anything violent was fine. I'm fine to this day..well mostly..hah. Sex was meh. Obviously they didn't want me watching extremely pornographic shows, but what I did on my own time was my choice especially once I hit 12+.

My sister is 15 and allowed to watch AHS...though I'm not sure my mom is totally aware what is all on that show.

What I'm surprised is what AHS: asylum gets away with on basic cable.
Me too, I mean it's borderline only HBO worthy. Same with Sons of Anarchy. It's a little refreshing though, IMO.
 

Laurelin

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#59
Haven't read the thread.

My parents censored some- I think. I remember watching some terrifying horror movie at my grandma's when I was probably in kindergarten or first grade. I have no idea what it was but it scarred me. There was a horde of bugs eating people alive. And I also remember there being a dead body falling out of a closet on a soap opera my mom watched in elementary school. I was terrified of opening doors because I thought a body would fall on me.

I remember watching a PG13 movie once in elementary school at a friend's house and getting in trouble. But other than that I don't recall anything too much. First PG13 I remember watching was in 5th grade, so I was either 10 or 11. I watched a rated R movie in 8th grade with my mom. I don't think I would have been allowed to if she hadn't screened it.

It kind of sucked because they were SO much more lenient with my younger sisters. Emily watched PG13 when she was 3? I think it was just because I was the oldest child.

My cousin had her kids over at thanksgiving. The youngest is 2(ish) and the oldest 10(ish). We watched PG13 movies but the rule was that they know what the bad words are and if they start repeating them they lose their movie watching privileges. I am not sure I'd let the 2/3 year old and 6 year old watch movies with that kind of language in it.
 

Laurelin

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#60
Oddly enough my parents never censored music or internet. Or books. I've read some pretty raunchy scenes in novels even when I was young. I remember reading my first sex scene in a book when I was 10 and thinking.... omg, they can put this in books?! It totally weirded me out.
 

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