"What About the Children?!"

[Gemini Cricket]

I have a question to ask but I'd like to being with a disclaimer.

I love kids and am not meaning to sound mean or hateful. If this thread leads that way, this may have to be moved to the Litter Box. I have a deep respect for people with kids and know that a lot of my friends here have them.

So here's my question. Should everything that's on tv, radio and on the internet be kid safe?

Here's my point. Growing up, I was led to believe that not everything in this world is for kids. If you're not an adult, you can't watch this show. If you're not an adult, you can't listen to that song/station. When you're a grown up, you can go into that place.

Now that I'm a grown up, I feel that everything out there needs to be sanitized so that kids can watch it, listen to it or visit certain places.

Example: Robbie Williams, a popular UK artist, said of his drug addiction that those days were the best times of his life. So, I'm watching 'The View' and Meredith Vierra goes ballistic saying that he's sending the wrong message to kids. My thinking is, yes, the guy did a song for 'Finding Nemo'. But the guy is being honest about what he did. Should he be a role model for kids? I'm not sure. It sounds like this kind of thinking leads to the logic that everyone should be a role model for kids. Problem is, lots of people aren't.

I'm not saying drugs are okay. I'm not defending Robbie Williams, although I like his music.

Another example: Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. Everyone decried it as 'bad for kids'. But where were these kids parents when they were being corrupted by Janet's anatomy? And since when is the Super Bowl for kids?

Another example: The producers of 'Avenue Q' can not take their show on the road. Because parents have tried to take their kids to see it because it has singing puppets in it. 'Q' needs to be shown in Vegas for the West Coast to see it because Vegas is adult oriented. However, that's not the case any more. There is a lot more for kids to do in Vegas than ever before. They still will have the same problem of parents taking their kids to see an R-rated theatre show.


Basically, what I'm saying is that should everything be G rated and Disneyfied in our country to cater to kids? Is there room for adults to do adult things and say adult things any more? Where does responsible parenting come in? Are we saying that kids aren't resilient at all, that anything can destroy their minds forever?

Reverend Lovejoy's wife on 'The Simpsons' used to shout out "What about the children?" on the show from time to time whenever something controversial happened in Springfield and I thought that it was a great title for this thread. So, in your opinion, what about the children?

[Cuzco-topia]

Good topic. As far as television/movies goes, it's up to the parents to allow what the kids view or not. It also slightly depends on the maturity level of the child. There were plenty of shows/movies I wasn't "allowed" to watch. Even The Simpsons were on that list. But I don't feel that society needs to wrap entertainment in "bubble wrap"...the same way that they're "bubble wrapping" playgrounds now a days. I'm all for kid friendly, but unfortunatly the world has become kid friendly...to the extreme...which causes many different issues all together. Now, I love children dearly and plan to have some one day in the near future, but children must learn life experiences through REAL life experiences. Must everything be sugar coated?

[Cousin Orville]

Since this is a Dsiney board, I imagine that Disney content should be that way for sure. Do i like the idea of sanitizing the occult and witchcraft for kids? No. Do i like nick showing all kinds of exploitive advertising during thier kid programming? No. the evil empire is not as much the shows as it is the marketing machine that is there to sell out and manipulate your kids against YOU. The shows teach the kids to defy your authority and the advertised products are targeted toward materialism and creating needs that did not exist.

when my kids were really young, say 3. i told them that commercials are created by grown ups to get you to want something enough to bug us for it. the kids in those ads are all given money to act like they like what you see on the screen. the actual food or toy may not as fun in real life as it is shown to you. It doesn't mean what they are showing in the commercial is bad or isn't fun, BUT you need to see them for what they are. Those kids are flying after eating Skittles, you won't fly and the Keebler elves don't make those cookies either. i'm glad i did this as they are now cautious as to what they decide to liekand usually want to see it in person or play with a toy another kid likes or has.

Proof.

I went to a conference of marketers once where they showed in detail the 4 kinds of parents there are (i.e ones who spoil, ones who don't , ones who do everything with their kids, etc.) and how to make ads to target those specific household's kids to make them drive the parents nuts to buy for them. It was EVIL. Mtv does the same with teens. Of course Disney was there with all of the rest.

[testtrack321]

No, not everything should be kid safe, nor should it be censored at all. There should be warnings, but other than that I'm firmly against censorship that has been going on.

Be a parent to your own kids, not me or other legal adults. (not targeted at anyone on these boards, just a general statement.)

[Tinkerbelle]

Simple answer to your question...No everything should not have to be child friendly.

more involved answer...I am a mother of 2 wonderful children (5 and 10) my family loves movies, we collect them, we watch them, we pay way to much to go see them.... but we use discression...for example, I have no objection with 'G' whole family can watch. 'PG' we use discression (particularly for our youngest). 'PG-13' some my daughter can see, some I preview first and then decide based on content and her personality (how a movie will effect her) 'R' absolutly no way my children can watch...does that mean I won't watch them, of course not, I'm an adult I can watch what I want. If we have rented something which for any number of reasons is unacceptable we wait until the kids bedtime and remind them that "mommy and daddy are going to watch a movie that is NOT for kids, you may not come down"

what we consider acceptable differs from most people, I am strict and I know it...I can't stand most anything on Nick. (just seems so disrespectful) I limit the TV shows they can watch...etc. This is my decision as their mother, I will raise them as I see best, But I do not feel that the world should be sanitized and rated 'G'. It's my job and responsability to raise them apropriatly, not the worlds.

As far as the superbowl comment...the problem with that was that parents did not expect it,it was compleatly out of charactor for the show, so we were unable to edit it out...the 1/2 time shows have always been something my daughter enjoyed, I never considered it something I needed to edit.
Why did I have a problem with Janet Jackson showing a breast? I have no problem with nudity, my children have seen me looking for a towel before a bath, changing cloths, etc. Just like any other family. what I have a problem with is the fact that I am trying to teach my daughter that she is a wonderful, smart, beautiful, intelligent, girl. I am trying to teach her to respect herself and her body, I am trying to teach her that dispite what the media shows us we do not need to "bare all" to get our way or for attention, but then what does she see on Live TV a woman do exactly that show a breast for attention....and what did she get? ATTENTION it was in the news for weeks after that, people are still joking about it....
That's where my problem with it is.
(just my 2 cents)


Back to the original question though....No the world should not be rated 'G' not everything needs to be for kids.

[Alan]

Do you all know what a V chip is? If you do and have kids, do you use it?

[Disneyphile]

I'm glad you brought up this topic, because it's really hit me personally in a present situation.

I'm a renaissance faire participant, and the huge faire out here in SoCal is now being changed to a "family friendly" environment with the bawdiness "toned down" to a PG environment. Up until this year, there's been a seperate NC-17 stage where adult songs and stories were told, but they're giving that the axe as well, and telling the performing groups to "keep it clean". It's a total load of crap. I want to go to faire and sing naughty songs under the sun. There are enough "family friendly" events and places already, especially in SoCal!

When I was growing up, my parents watched programs WITH me to see what I was learning from them, or they would preview something before letting me see it. I think that is being responsible.

Also, I grew up in Vegas. Stripper billboards were just as prominent back then as they are now. And, it never phased me. My parents were honest with me too: "Mom, what does that lady do?" - "She dances without her shirt on for money. It's something that adults do sometimes." - "Oh, ok, mom." (And, no, my mom wasn't a stipper, and not even close to being a "hippy". ) To me, it just was never that big a deal. And, maybe it helped a bit. I was never one of those kids who giggled or laughed over anatomy lessons in school, because nothing I was looking at was "dirty" or "taboo". I always knew that adults "acted differently", and I was quite happy with being a kid. In the case of the Janet Jackson/Super Bowl thing, if my kid asked, I would tell them, "Part of her costume fell off. That was her breast. It was an accident." I believe that if things are made a "big deal", then kids will only be more curious.

IMHO, I think that parents should take full responsibility for what their kids watch or do. I'm honestly tired of things being "sterilized" for those who won't take that responsibility. My parents both worked and were solely responsible for me and my two siblings. If they could do it, I don't see why any other parents can't either.

[dsnylndmom]

I defintely don't think everything should be child friendly! What would be the fun in that?? :devil:

Seriously, there are movies my kids and I watch together and movies that only mommy watches, tv shows my kids and I watch together and some only they watch(after I've made sure it's okay, but one can only take so Yu Gi Oh so much without wanting to rip your eyes out of the sockets! )and shows that only I watch!! It's up to me what they can and can't watch, no one else(well okay their dad gets sommme say )

But, like Disneyphile was saying, if they happen to stumble across something they shouldn't see, I at least try to turn it into a learning situation. I thihk it's so sad about your Ren Faire Disneyphile, not everything has to be family friendly I love going to the crawdad festival out here in isleton(God that sounds hickish! LOL)but it's not something my boys(6 and 10)need to go to! It's a got a Mardi Gras type atmosphere with the beads and they don't need to be there. Plus, I totally totally feel that mommys and daddys need "their time" also, which they can't have if EVERYTHING is family friendly, ya know.

Oh and while my kids watch Nick, I have to admit that thier marketing drives me insane. God how many times a day do they need to show the Nick HOtel commercial ugh.

[EmeralineDragon]

one can only take so Yu Gi Oh so much without wanting to rip your eyes out of the sockets!

*gasp* How can you resist the charms of Seto Kaiba and his Blue Eyes White Dragon? Plus, Yami is hot.

/fangirl

[Gemini Cricket]

As far as the superbowl comment...the problem with that was that parents did not expect it,it was compleatly out of charactor for the show, so we were unable to edit it out...the 1/2 time shows have always been something my daughter enjoyed, I never considered it something I needed to edit.

Not to focus on this specific issue, but...
The song Janet was singing at the beginning of the 1/2 time show was called 'All For You'. The lyrics go: "All the girls at the party, look at that body, shaking that thing like you never did see, got a nice package alright, I guess I'm gonna have to ride it tonight."
Usher was humping his dancers and the floor, if I remember correctly.
Kid Rock wore a flag with a hole cut into it as a pancho.
Justin Timberlake's song goes, "Better have you naked by the end of this song" and "So go ahead, girl, just do that shaking thing you do".
This is all before the 'wardrobe malfunction'.
When were you going to yank your kids away? Not to mention that the 'child corrupting' even was all of 2 seconds. I watched the show with grown undrunk adults who missed it.
That confuses me. And I'm not singling you out, Tink. I'm just saying in general and I'm not questioning your parenting.

[Flint]

Neither TV, radio, CD's, nor movies should be censored "for the children." Parents: parent your own damn kids, or find a pack of freaks in Montana or Utah and create your own little communities. This is not 1750, and we are NOT Puritans. Let it go and move on.

I'll have to add a disclaimer: I don't watch TV, listen to broadcast radio, or watch the absolute dreck that is the American cinema.

[stinkerbell]

Good GOD, no, things should not all be sanitized for the kids. OMG. That would SUCK.

We're a bit stricter than most of my kids' friends parents and we're just fine with that. They're not allowed to watch anything on TV except PBS, and I monitor even that. We don't have MTV, and if we did, my ten year old would not be allowed to watch it, even though I sat in front of MTV at her age and drooled for hours on end and ended up okay.

I also watched General Hospital from the time I was in diapers. My parents were weird....I could watch Charlie's Angels after school, Fantasy Island and Dallas at night, but I wasn't allowed to watch PG-13 movies until I was actually 13. Okayyyyy.....

I read up on a lot of things before my kids can watch them--I let my oldest watch 13 Going on 30, but not Mean Girls. I read about the content of both from a parents' perspective and made the call. I saw both movies and I know I made the right choice. If I had just let her watch Mean Girls because Lindsay Lohan was in it, and because she wanted to, well, what the hell kind of parent would I be??? Ick!

I enjoy my adult time. We have a thing on the weekends....we eat pizza and watch a family movie on Friday nights at around 6:30....usually Disney, but sometimes it's something like Bend it Like Beckham. The rules are simple. Everyone in the family CAN see it, and everyone in the family has to want to see it. In other words, my husband and I are NOT going to sit throught Cinderella 2 or Lion King 1 1/2 and we're not going to ask our four year old to watch The Lord of the Rings (no matter HOW badly she wants to!).

So after family time, the kids go downstairs and have a "sleepover," while we watch a movie we want to watch upstairs. They're not to interrupt and since they have free reign downstairs....they don't. It's our time. They play, watch an animated movie, whatever.

Same with vacations.....they're not going to Vegas with us anytime soon. I hate that porn gets thrust into our hands on the strip. Ugh. I don't need a hooker, thanks. It doesn't mean they'll never go to Vegas with us, we'll just wait til they're a little older and a little more comfortable to ask us questions.

I know the deal on Avenue Q, so they won't be seeing that anytime soon. :devil: I let my daughter have certain CDs...like Lindsay Lohan, but she doesn't know a lot about Lindsay's party life, so I'm okay with it. The pics on the CD cover are okay....not great. But it's so hard to find anything that's appropriate for her 'tween status and age group.

Clothes shopping has been a chore for me forever....but it got BETTER once my oldest was big enough for women's XS shirts. The slut factor went WAY down once she was out of the girls sizes, ironically.

We struggle as parents to walk that fine line....we welcome our family time as much as we welcome our adult time, of course. Sometimes if there's an inappropriate topic of discussion on a radio show, I have to do the parental thing and turn it down....it sucks, but it's the right thing to do. We do a lot WITH the kids, so we pretty much know what's being said, what's on their minds, who they hang out with, what they play with...all that. We're pretty careful with them.

I want them to be kids for as long as they can. That's extremely important to me. They don't need to be walking around with bad attitudes, talking slang and wearing slutty clothes with crushes on the boys on The OC.

That's for me and my friends, dammit! :devil:

[dsnylndmom]

Good GOD, no, things should not all be sanitized for the kids. OMG. That would SUCK.

I want them to be kids for as long as they can. That's extremely important to me. They don't need to be walking around with bad attitudes, talking slang and wearing slutty clothes with crushes on the boys on The OC.

That's for me and my friends, dammit! :devil:

:lol: exactly!!

I know that Kyler is considered immature by alot of the other kids in his grade because he doesn't get to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Grudge and sag his pants and watch adult swim but I LIKE my 10 year old being 10!!!! Not to mention I like my 6 year old, being a 6 year old!!I'd like to keep them "their ages" thank you very much. It amazes me some of the things I see the kids wearing at his school

[SCUBAbe]

no, do not censor anything. I chose to have my child I will determine what she can and cannot watch or do. My job is to be a parent. yes, it is sometimes much harder than I thought it would be, buty it's my job to parent my child. It is not my job to try and legislate morality on others to make my job easier...

[dsnylndmom]

I defintely don't think everything should be child friendly! What would be the fun in that?? :devil:

Seriously, there are movies my kids and I watch together and movies that only mommy watches, tv shows my kids and I watch together and some only they watch(after I've made sure it's okay, but one can only take so Yu Gi Oh so much without wanting to rip your eyes out of the sockets! )and shows that only I watch!! It's up to me what they can and can't watch, no one else(well okay their dad gets sommme say )

But, like Disneyphile was saying, if they happen to stumble across something they shouldn't see, I at least try to turn it into a learning situation. I thihk it's so sad about your Ren Faire Disneyphile, not everything has to be family friendly I love going to the crawdad festival out here in isleton(God that sounds hickish! LOL)but it's not something my boys(6 and 10)need to go to! It's a got a Mardi Gras type atmosphere with the beads and they don't need to be there. Plus, I totally totally feel that mommys and daddys need "their time" also, which they can't have if EVERYTHING is family friendly, ya know.

Oh and while my kids watch Nick, I have to admit that thier marketing drives me insane. God how many times a day do they need to show the Nick HOtel commercial ugh.

I just want to point out, that trying to post coherently after 4 cups of coffee & a diet coke was probably not a good thing! Damn I rambled my off! SORRY! :o

[stinkerbell]

I just want to point out, that trying to post coherently after 4 cups of coffee & a diet coke was probably not a good thing! Damn I rambled my off! SORRY! :o

Mine was the opposite....I went on and on.....then Kelly brought me home my first caffeine in the day and I realized I wrote something about "my kids' parents" which is um, duh, us. :devil: Like all my babies' daddies or something??

I meant my kids' FRIENDS' parents.

[Flint]

I just want to point out, that trying to post coherently after 4 cups of coffee & a diet coke was probably not a good thing! Damn I rambled my off! SORRY! :o

*watches dsnylndmom vibrate around the room*
That's gotta hurt...

[Tinkerbelle]

Justin Timberlake's song goes, "Better have you naked by the end of this song" and "So go ahead, girl, just do that shaking thing you do".
This is all before the 'wardrobe malfunction'.
When were you going to yank your kids away? Not to mention that the 'child corrupting' even was all of 2 seconds. I watched the show with grown undrunk adults who missed it.
That confuses me. And I'm not singling you out, Tink. I'm just saying in general and I'm not questioning your parenting.

Not to beat a dead horse but...I missed most of the half time show...I was getting snacks... The lyric above is what made me rush back into the room,
Thinking 'what the heck is this?' trying to figure out if I heard it right or not...
The reason the "wardrobe malfunction" upset me was simply that is what my daughter noticed, what my daughter had questions about, the rest of the show, I can not comment on I missed it...but I do know that my children made no mention of the rest, probaly didn't notice or it was above their heads but my daughter had all sorts of questions for mommy later...(partialy because it saturated every possable media outlet for the next few weeks)

I do know that we did not watch the halftime show this year...

[Ortizmo2000]

The following comments are probably going to cost me some rep, but here goes.....(and this is NOT directed at anyone in particular)

Raising YOUR kids isn't my responsibility, so please forgive me if I don't leap at the chance to jump on the Great Sanitization Bandwagon. I saw plenty of rather risque material as a child, and probably no more or less than your average child at that. To this date I have not done jail time, been hooked on drugs, or even been in a physical scuffle since about the 7th grade. I am now 35, with a stable job, my own place and brand-spankin' new mode of transportation, and a pretty fun life.

The fact that I saw my first boobie at age 5 (I believe the film was Thunderbolt and Lightfoot) didn't have a single negative effect on me. I would think that since many (not all) religious organizations take such a hardline stance on homosexuality, and are often the driving force behind the "what about the children" mentality, then they'd be downright pleased that there's a chance that the fleeting glimpse of nudity is likely the reason I am now a practicing heterosexual. Actually....I take the "practicing" part back: I'm very good at it.

To quote the great and all-seeing Master Control Program: End of Line!