Coming of Age

JANET GUAN
Copy Editor

Though ratings are placed on movies, some only view them as recommendations. Teenagers under the age of 17 could find ways to view movies that may not be suited for their age. However, parents do have a place in managing what their underage teenagers watch. Are parents executing their restrictions sufficiently? Or are they on the extremes of both spectra?

“As long as kids get good grades and don’t stay out late, and in some cases keep the house clean, [parents]could care less what their child becomes.” junior Ethan Spencer said.

If teens are mature and responsible, it does not seem to matter whether they are below the required age, since they will respond maturely and appropriately. Yet, this questions the purpose of having the age restriction, when the purpose of the limitation is to prevent those not mature enough, a characteristic that does not wholly rely on how old someone is, from viewing a movie.

Adolescence is the period when teenagers begin transitioning to adulthood. When they first begin, parents should prevent their children from being prematurely exposed to more adult themes. Later on, parents can become more lax, since their children are closer to adulthood and supposedly more sensible.

Guardians can also go to the other antithesis and be too restrictive. Technological devices teens commonly use have parental functions parents can change, ranging from password restriction to outright website blocking. Parents may also monitor their children closely, to the point where they control whatever they may see. This does not indicate that teenagers will cede their online social life, but that will more cautious to their doings.

Overall, parents should make an effort to watch what their children ogle at. However, a fine line rests between excessive sheltering and apathy.