Clinical Reference Systems: Pediatric Advisor 10.0
R-Rated Movies: Protecting Your Child
DESCRIPTION
- Responses of children to violent movies
Children have been reported to have the following
symptoms after they have watched violent R-rated movies:
- bedtime fears
- recurrent nightmares
- daytime flashbacks of something frightening
- disruption of concentration and study
- a fearful view of the world.
Since these movies are made to frighten teenagers and
adults, these findings are not surprising.
Frequent exposures to violent material can also cause a
child to become insensitive to human suffering. Violent
movies may have an even greater impact on disturbed
children: some of them imitate what they see in the
movies.
- Causes of bad reactions to violent movies
Most bad reactions are caused by R-rated movies that
contain horror, graphic violence, or sexual violence.
The content of violent movies has changed over the last
10 years. These movies emphasize mutilation. Thanks to
improved special effects, in today's movies we can see
the details of torture or brutality in slow, agonizing
close-ups. For example, recent movies have shown a head
being chopped off, a brain being blown up, the
disfigurement of a face with a knife, a neck being
slashed, and a hypodermic needle being plunged into an
eyeball.
Children 12 years old or younger are most at risk for
severe reactions. Most elementary school children don't
have the adult defense mechanisms needed to cope with
these movies. These children are most threatened by
movie villains who seem real and play on their deepest
fears--for example, surprise attack, kidnapping,
torture, or death. Some of these mad slashers, unlike
real people, are portrayed as indestructible and thus
leave the young viewer feeling helpless. Children feel
especially vulnerable if they identify with the victim
in a movie. Children less than 7 or 8 years old think
concretely. If such violence can happen on the screen,
they reason that it could happen to them that night.
Most research on the impact of violence on children has
studied the effect of television violence. This
research shows that TV affects children's behavior.
No research review committee would ever approve a study
in which children are exposed to R-rated movies.
However, you don't need to be a psychiatrist to know
that viewing graphic violence in movies, which are much
more powerful than anything on TV, is harmful to
children.
- Expected course of severe responses to movies
Without treatment a child's fears and preoccupations can
last 1 to 6 months. With help, your child's fears
usually lessen or go away in a few weeks.
PROTECTING YOUR CHILD FROM MOVIE VIOLENCE
- Understand the movie rating system.
The R rating means that children under 17 years are not
admitted to the theater without a parent. Movies may
get an R rating for different reasons. This rating is
given for nudity, profanity, or violence.
Nudity, depending on the context, may be harmless.
Profanity in the movies has contributed to the common
use of profanity on elementary school playgrounds, which
means your child will probably hear profanity without
going to R-rated movies.
It is the violence in a movie that disturbs children.
The degree of violence is often given in the rating--for
example, graphic violence or rape.
- Forbid all R-rated movies until your child is 13 years
old.
Never allow a child who is under 13 years old to see any
R-rated film, no matter how liberal you may be about
nudity and profanity. If your child is 13 to 16 years
old, carefully consider his maturity and sensitivity
when you are deciding whether he is ready to view some
of these movies with you. Don't allow your child to see
movies with graphic personal or sexual violence before
age 17. These movies are not a required life experience
at any age.
- Select your child's movies.
Don't let your child see a movie unless you know the
rating and have read a review. Don't let your child
pressure you into letting her see a film that is
potentially harmful. The decision to see something that
is possibly harmful is an adult decision.
Keep a list of movies you approve of. Look at the
reviews of Colleen Harty, who is a PTA-sanctioned movie
reviewer. She reviews films through the eyes of a
parent and has a unique rating system that describes
various aspects of the content of the movie, including
cruelty to animals.
- Monitor what your child is watching on cable TV, network
TV, and rented videos.
Uncut versions of violent movies are readily available
through cable TV and video rentals. Don't allow your
child to turn on the cable movie channel unless he has
your permission to view a specific program. Even some
of the edited versions of movies on network TV can be
too frightening for young children.
Don't let your younger children watch the programs that
you have approved only for your older children,
including the evening news. Young children who view
fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, warfare, or terrorism on
the news become worried about their personal safety.
- Warn your child about violent movies outside the home.
Protect your youngster from being unintentionally
victimized by film violence. Be especially vigilant
about slumber parties or Halloween parties. A popular
party game in middle school is renting a horror movie
and seeing how much of it your friends can watch before
they become ill.
Tell your child to call you if the family he is visiting
or a baby sitter is showing scary movies. Teach him to
walk out of movies that make him scared or upset. Warn
him to obey theater policies and not to sneak into
R-rated movies.
- Discuss any movie that upsets your child.
Respect your child's fears. Don't make fun of them.
Help him talk about what scared him. Help him gradually
come to grips with fears caused by a movie.
- Use common sense.
Protect your child's mental health from unnecessary
fears. R-rated movies are never harmless for a child in
elementary school. Use the movie ratings and your
common sense to choose age-appropriate movies for your
child. Never let your child see anything that frightens
you.
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Written by B.D. Schmitt, M.D., author of "Your Child's Health," Bantam Books.
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Copyright 1999 Clinical Reference Systems
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