I'm pretty laid back about stuff like this. I'm fine with my 14 year old seeing Rated-R movies as long as they aren't overly sexual of violent. Horror movies are ok, for example. He started playing rated M games fairly young because he had older brothers and sisters. I would not take a ten year old to see any rated R movie. That's just too young even by my admittedly relaxed standards.

I was probably around 8. PG-13 was new when I was around 11 or 12, but yes, a lot of R movies were fairly tame before then.

I think it really depends on the movie. My son likes comedies so R rated movies like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead were fine for him as a pre-teen.

12 - stripes

My kids started watching R movies in middle school.

I use IMDB parental guide to determine why it is R. For example, Stand by Me is R because of an immense amount of cussing. That did not bother me.

No way. When I grew up, there was no PG-13 so a lot more things were R. R rated movies now are truly adult content.

I was probably 7 or so. My mom didn't want me to watch women getting raped but didn't care about cursing or car chase crap. DD can see one whenever she wants.

6th grade I believe. I had an obsession with horror movies so I would get things like Child's Play during my family's weekly visit to Blockbusters. In the theaters, it was 7th grade and the Village of the Darned movie. A friend and I begged some strange guy to purchase our tickets. I also watched Melrose Place (from the beginning when I was 10), 90210 (10 or 9), and Soap Operas (9 or 10).

Despite all of the above... At the end of 8th grade, on the way back home from a girl scout trip I still needed a friend to tell me what the bleeped out f-word was from Alanis Morisette's You Oughta Know Song. I couldn't figure it out and she whispered it to me with the begrudging approval of her mom.

The rating system makes your parenting job easier
If it's a unique situation, practically unavoidable, than under 17 seeing an R movie needn't be a terrible parenting fail
But why seek it out? Why knowingly arrange to have them see an R movie? I think that, likely, is a parenting fail
The ratings are there for a reason. Use them.

I grew up in Germany, and they have categories for 6, 12, 16 and 18. It's not up to the parents, everyone has ID.

That said, I think I saw a "16" movie at 14.

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in England and what is rated R here is 18 over there. that means you cant get in under 18, even with an irrisponsible parent who wont pay for a sitter.
So given that people use fake ID's or lie about their age most kids didnt see these movies in theaters until they could pass for 18.
I was probably 17

I grew up in the U.K. Too, and was probably 12 or 13. Thanks to video...

Anonymous wrote:I was probably 9.

The age at which I'd let my kid are a certain movie depends more on the reason for the movie's rating than the rating itself.

+1. I was somewhere between 7 and 9, based on where we were living at the time. I don't recall what movie, and I also don't recall being bothered/upset/frightened by whatever it was.

I was probably 9.

The age at which I'd let my kid are a certain movie depends more on the reason for the movie's rating than the rating itself.

I grew up in England and what is rated R here is 18 over there. that means you cant get in under 18, even with an irrisponsible parent who wont pay for a sitter.
So given that people use fake ID's or lie about their age most kids didnt see these movies in theaters until they could pass for 18.
I was probably 17

I was 14. Movie was animal house.

10 is way to young. They're given ratings for a reason. I was probably 18 or 19 the first time I saw one and I certainly wouldn't take a kid younger than 17 to one.

How old were you when you saw your first rated R movie? What age will your child be? Deciding if I am taking my 10 yo to one.