Would you allow your 17 year old to watch Game of Thrones?

[Anonymous]

I teach two students whose parents have forbid them to watch Game of Thrones. Of course, they have watched it. Their parents don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 17 year old niece mentioned to me that her favorite show is Game of Thrones and when I asked how her parents felt about her watching, she responded that they don't care. My kids are a lot younger, so I'm not sure how I will feel when they are that age, but my instinctive reaction was surprise that her parents would let her watch a show that is basically light porn.

Would I allow my 17-year-old, who will be a legal adult in less than a year, and who will probably out of the house in the next year (if not earlier), and who has plenty of opportunities to watch this show anyway even if I don't allow her to, to watch this TV show?

Yes, I would.

Same. I wouldn't think twice. And if anyone thinks a 17 y/o these days hasn't heard of people having sex and/or oral sex- or more likely, engaging in sex/oral sex- is living under a rock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17 is a lot closer to having babies than being a baby, so yes, when my kid is almost old enough to die at war, drink, smoke, sign an apartment lease, get married, and is packing up to leave for college, I will let them make their own TV choices.

If I haven't raised them well enough by then, it is too late to start.

PP here, I am REALLY stodgy by the way but really, at some.point you have to trust they can make their own choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you allow your 17 year old to READ GoT?

At a pretty early age I was reading the fantasy cannon, as well as stuff like the Gor books (which got pretty repetitive and dull fairly quickly).

Those were terrible. Just plain bad books.

[Anonymous]

For those of you that would allow it, what age wouldn't you? I'm assuming you wouldn't allow a 10 year old to watch it, even though you could make the same arguments that they would find opportunities to watch anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach two students whose parents have forbid them to watch Game of Thrones. Of course, they have watched it. Their parents don't know.

I know 12 year old boys who have watched porn online at other kids' houses. Guess I should let their parents know that they might as well remove the internet filtering on the family computer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you that would allow it, what age wouldn't you? I'm assuming you wouldn't allow a 10 year old to watch it, even though you could make the same arguments that they would find opportunities to watch anyways.

I think that a 17-year-old's opportunities to watch it are meaningfully different from a 10-year-old's opportunities to watch it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach two students whose parents have forbid them to watch Game of Thrones. Of course, they have watched it. Their parents don't know.

I know 12 year old boys who have watched porn online at other kids' houses. Guess I should let their parents know that they might as well remove the internet filtering on the family computer.

This is why talking to your kids is a more effective strategy than just banning things.

[Anonymous]

Thought this was going to be a troll, but lo and behold a lot of people seem to agree with OP...

OF COURSE a 17 year old can watch adult TV. You know most kids that age have had sex, and are on the cusp of being able to join the military, move out, hold a full time job, etc.? So you're seriously still worried about what, exactly? If your 17 year old needs adult monitoring of their media consumption you have already failed on some level to prepare them for the world. I hear these horror stories about how college kids today CANNOT function with mommy and daddy guiding them at every turn, talking to professors on their behalf, and things like that... This is why. Cut the strings people.

[Anonymous]

I really don't want to be put in the position of "allowing" my kids to watch light porn - whatever that means. Explicit oral sex...no. I don't want to give the green light for my kids to watch that.

I haven't watched Game of Thrones myself. My house is full of sports fanatics - so it is 24 hr sports on our t.v. What chanel is Game of Thrones on? If it's not on ESPN I don't know about it...haha.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't even be a topic of conversation, of course he or she could watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't want to be put in the position of "allowing" my kids to watch light porn - whatever that means. Explicit oral sex...no. I don't want to give the green light for my kids to watch that.

I haven't watched Game of Thrones myself. My house is full of sports fanatics - so it is 24 hr sports on our t.v. What chanel is Game of Thrones on? If it's not on ESPN I don't know about it...haha.

NP. To be honest, I would have no problem with my teens seeing that in the context of a clearly fictional TV show. I do not approve of most porn for ethical reasons, which is what I've always told my kids, however the two are significantly different to me. Furthermore, despite the slight awkwardness, my teens know that I know they sometimes watch porn, and the most I've said on the subject is a discussion of ethics, consent, and possible methods of finding more ethical porn than most of the mainstream. I never felt that I was in any position to grant or deny permission for them to view such things, save that nobody had or has permission ever to purchase mainstream porn with money under my control.

Then again, I never censored any media for my kids more than legal or policy restrictions required me to do. My policy for non-pornographic media, which is what I consider this show, has always been, provided it is legal I am alright with you watching anything you want, as long as you are comfortable with it and want to be watching it. If anything makes you uncomfortable, that is a potential indication you should not watch it at this time, and since everything in life should operate on the principle of informed consent you are obviously free to stop watching anything at any time for any reason. You may also always come to me with questions about anything or to discuss anything that you would like to get someone else's perspective on.

[Anonymous]

I would allow my 17 year old to watch porn. 17 is basically an adult. I'd want to ensure they understand that TV/movies aren't real, don't usually reflect appropriate behaviors, etc, which is an ongoing conversation throughout their life. By 17, they should be able to manage their own media consumption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don't want to be put in the position of "allowing" my kids to watch light porn - whatever that means. Explicit oral sex...no. I don't want to give the green light for my kids to watch that.

I haven't watched Game of Thrones myself. My house is full of sports fanatics - so it is 24 hr sports on our t.v. What chanel is Game of Thrones on? If it's not on ESPN I don't know about it...haha.

NP. To be honest, I would have no problem with my teens seeing that in the context of a clearly fictional TV show. I do not approve of most porn for ethical reasons, which is what I've always told my kids, however the two are significantly different to me. Furthermore, despite the slight awkwardness, my teens know that I know they sometimes watch porn, and the most I've said on the subject is a discussion of ethics, consent, and possible methods of finding more ethical porn than most of the mainstream. I never felt that I was in any position to grant or deny permission for them to view such things, save that nobody had or has permission ever to purchase mainstream porn with money under my control.

Then again, I never censored any media for my kids more than legal or policy restrictions required me to do. My policy for non-pornographic media, which is what I consider this show, has always been, provided it is legal I am alright with you watching anything you want, as long as you are comfortable with it and want to be watching it. If anything makes you uncomfortable, that is a potential indication you should not watch it at this time, and since everything in life should operate on the principle of informed consent you are obviously free to stop watching anything at any time for any reason. You may also always come to me with questions about anything or to discuss anything that you would like to get someone else's perspective on.

Immediate PP here. Agree completely. You said it much better than I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I would. I might start conversations about specific episodes, but I think there's much more to the show than "light porn" and 17 is pretty old.

--parent of a 19-year-old and a 21-year-old

I agree that there's much more to the show than light porn, but on a recent episode there was a prolonged and very explicit scene of two women engaged in oral sex. There was absolutely no legitimate reason that scene needed to be there. Call me a prude or old-fashioned, but that just does NOT seem to me to be acceptable viewing for a child under 18.

17 year olds are more young adults than children. Cunnilingus will soon be the least of their worries.