The Dark Knight: Too Intense for Kids?
Well, it’s no secret that The Dark Knight has plenty of action and violence. It’s thick into the PG-13 rating, that’s for sure.
Just got a press release from Purdue University, noting that the movie is too intense for kids. Uh, yeah! That’s why it’s rated PG-13!
Glenn Sparks, professor of communication, says, “The danger with a film like this is its history in the Batman comic book series and cartoons. People think of this hero as fun and entertaining, so parents may even take very young children to see what they believe is a family film. Instead, they may be jarred by the film’s explicit level of violence.”
Absolutely agree with this, especially with such a creepy guy like The Joker. And yet, I see little kids at movies like this regularly. What is up with parents? The ratings are there for a reason. Sure, they often err on the side of being too lenient, i.e. PG-13 movies edging towards an R, but really, they do a pretty good job of telling us what’s what before we take the kids.
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Sparks continues, “We know from prior research that violence of this sort can be really upsetting for children ages 6-10 because they realize that bad things can happen to people. At the same time, children at this age don’t have experience coping with explicit images of violence or understanding the likelihood that something will happen.”
There are plenty of great sites out there that give detailed movie info for parents, including Common Sense Media, Kids in Mind, and my own family movie site, Reel Life With Jane. It’s not that hard to find good info on whether movies are appropriate for kids or not.
Image: The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008
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3 opinions for The Dark Knight: Too Intense for Kids?
Rachel
Jul 23, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Way to creepy for little kids. Sat in front of a woman with two little girls, maybe 4 and 6. What was she thinking? Then was was creepier, those girls weren’t phased at all. What was I thinking. Better left unsaid.
Dave
Jul 24, 2008 at 10:37 am
What about the marketing? Since the holidays, kids have been hammered with Dark Knight merchandise — Legos, cereal, action figures, etc., etc. Average Lego consumer is probably several years younger than the 13 in PG-13… So, when the movie comes out, you have to explain to your 8 yr old…. “Yeah, it’s ok for you to save your allowance and but the action figures - but God forbid you get to go see the movie it’s about!”
Jane Boursaw
Jul 24, 2008 at 11:24 am
Hi Dave - So true! And it’s that way with so many PG-13 movies. They give the toys away at Burger King, but the kids don’t get to go see the movie. It’s insane.
Rachel - I see so many tiny kids in movies that aren’t appropriate for that age group. It really makes you wonder where the parents heads are at. And a few weeks ago, I saw a girl in my daughter’s class (11 years old) in an R-RATED movie with her mom! When they came over to say hi to me, I mentioned, “Did you know this is an R-rated movie?” She just sort of brushed it off, and it made me cringe. I was very uncomfortable sitting there, knowing this girl should NOT be in that movie.
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