{"id":1595,"date":"2016-08-02T13:21:44","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T17:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.sosgarde.ca\/blog\/?p=1595"},"modified":"2023-07-12T23:48:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T23:48:15","slug":"age-appropriate-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sosgarde.ca\/blog\/babysitter\/age-appropriate-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"Age Appropriate Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Do you remember some of the movies you watched when you were a kid? <\/span><\/p>\n

I remember watching <\/span>Stripes<\/span><\/i> at the first boy \/ girl birthday party I went to when I was nine. NINE! Stripes was rated R and included topless women, drug references, profanity (four F-<\/span>bombs<\/span>) and some violence. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stripes,<\/span><\/i> although the 5<\/span>th<\/span> most popular movie in the US and Canada in 1981, was not appropriate for a group of nine-year-old boys and girls in my opinion. It was exciting to be able to see it (I guess my wild streak started at an early age), I can remember being uncomfortable and pretty surprised we were watching it. I had seen nothing like it before!<\/span><\/p>\n

What were those parents thinking, right? \u00a0Although truth be told, my friends and I watched <\/span>Purple Rain<\/span><\/i> at my all girls 13<\/span>th<\/span> birthday slumber party. I don\u2019t really remember the movie but I can imagine that Prince did not shy away from mature content. And my parents were conscientious and fell into the \u201cstrict\u201d category! <\/span><\/p>\n

Most parents are interested in ensuring the movies, <\/span>TV and other content their kids see are age appropriate<\/span><\/a>. Why? \"Going<\/a>Well, essentially because as your kids develop, they need to have experiences that they can understand and process before they are ready to move on to more advanced experiences. Jumping ahead is thought to negatively impact a child\u2019s development. Also \u2013 and without seeking to fuel the debate \u2013 some studies say excessive exposure to violence and risky behaviours can desensitize children, leading to poor life decisions. Whether that\u2019s true or not, every parent has to decide what they consider to be appropriate for their kids. <\/span><\/p>\n

But what is a parent to do when they\u2019re just not sure?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

First, you should be knowledgeable about the movie rating systems. \u00a0In Canada, movie ratings are done at a provincial level by seven ratings boards. The <\/span>Ontario Film Review Board<\/span><\/a>, for example, uses the following ratings:<\/span><\/p>\n