Anonymous
Post 02/12/2026 09:14     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
9 is way too young. Average 13 or mature 12 seems right.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 14:23     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:My DH watched it first and then showed most of it to DS9, skipping certain scenes, and talking about it together. At least one entire season was too scary.


hes a psycho
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 12:32     Subject: Re:Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
No. And I really don't get why some parents are ok with it. My response would be, "let's talk when you can sleep without a nightlight."
Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 19:08     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
My DH watched it first and then showed most of it to DS9, skipping certain scenes, and talking about it together. At least one entire season was too scary.
Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 09:53     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Common sense media says 13+. Personally I've seen it and don't think my 9 yo is mature enough for it.


In this case, I actually think they get it right, but so often the rankings on that website are really weird.

For example they rate a bunch of the Harry Potter movies a 12+. But I find it especially weird that Stranger Things, which I think is waaaaay more inappropriate for younger kids than Harry Potter, would have such a similar rating. ST is much more mature than HP, in pretty much every way -- language, sexual situations, the type of violence shown, how stressful it is to watch (there are jump scares in ST, which I think are really stressful for kids, and they don't do stuff like that in HP). But if you had never seen either of them and were just looking at the website, you might conclude they were pretty similar. Maybe you'd let your 9 yr old kid watch HP based on the rating and that would go fine, so then you'd be like "Well Stranger Things is only rated a little older, let's give that a try" and your kid would be like WTF as they are watching a teenage girl get pressured into a sexual situation right before a big jump scare followed by a bloody gory scene that the characters then make sardonic remarks about like it's no big deal.

It's just not a very helpful guide. But I don't know of a better one. I guess you really just have to preview media for kids. Which is fine for older stuff I've already seen anyway but makes it very hard to evaluate newer media.


Another weird one:

Stranger Things and the USA detective comedy Psych (it's old but on streaming) get the exact same rating. This is wild. Psych is a goofy buddy detective comedy. There is some violence and adult themes, but it's way, way, way more tame than Stranger Things. I'd let a 10 yr old watch Psych with an adult who could contextualize or explain some of the more adult stuff, but it's like 5% of any given episode. Whereas I'd never let a 10 yr old watch ST. Just nonsensical.
Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 09:46     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:Common sense media says 13+. Personally I've seen it and don't think my 9 yo is mature enough for it.


In this case, I actually think they get it right, but so often the rankings on that website are really weird.

For example they rate a bunch of the Harry Potter movies a 12+. But I find it especially weird that Stranger Things, which I think is waaaaay more inappropriate for younger kids than Harry Potter, would have such a similar rating. ST is much more mature than HP, in pretty much every way -- language, sexual situations, the type of violence shown, how stressful it is to watch (there are jump scares in ST, which I think are really stressful for kids, and they don't do stuff like that in HP). But if you had never seen either of them and were just looking at the website, you might conclude they were pretty similar. Maybe you'd let your 9 yr old kid watch HP based on the rating and that would go fine, so then you'd be like "Well Stranger Things is only rated a little older, let's give that a try" and your kid would be like WTF as they are watching a teenage girl get pressured into a sexual situation right before a big jump scare followed by a bloody gory scene that the characters then make sardonic remarks about like it's no big deal.

It's just not a very helpful guide. But I don't know of a better one. I guess you really just have to preview media for kids. Which is fine for older stuff I've already seen anyway but makes it very hard to evaluate newer media.
Anonymous
Post 02/07/2026 09:01     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
I love Stranger Things, but as the show goes on, the scenes get more and more graphic. I strongly recommend waiting until high school or late middle school. Just because it has younger kids in it that does not mean it is made for little kids. I started the show at age 14 and was obsessed, but I completely understand why I wasn't allowed to before. If it had a rating it would definitely be rated R.
Anonymous
Post 08/18/2021 08:38     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:To OP: what's your concern with Goonies? That its too scary for your 9 yo?


I'm the PP directly above you, and I'm curious, too. I also wouldn't put Goonies and Stand By Me in the same category in terms of appropriateness for a nine year old. Stand By Me has much more mature content, whereas Goonies is pretty goofy (I think).


DP but I agree. Both of my kids saw Goonies well before 10. We watched together and there was a little inappropriate glimpse of a girl’s leg, a little kissing, and a little bad language (and some IMO cartoonish violence of course). Doesn’t seem inappropriate on the whole.
Anonymous
Post 08/17/2021 12:32     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:To OP: what's your concern with Goonies? That its too scary for your 9 yo?


I'm the PP directly above you, and I'm curious, too. I also wouldn't put Goonies and Stand By Me in the same category in terms of appropriateness for a nine year old. Stand By Me has much more mature content, whereas Goonies is pretty goofy (I think).
Anonymous
Post 08/17/2021 12:24     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
To OP: what's your concern with Goonies? That its too scary for your 9 yo?
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2021 17:04     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Absolutely not. Goonies is tame by comparison; my nine year old rising fourth grader has seen that, but it'll be a while before she sees Stranger Things. She's asked, and we've said no. (DH and I love it, but it's both too scary and has too much sex for my liking for a kid that young)
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2021 15:57     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Common sense media says 13+. Personally I've seen it and don't think my 9 yo is mature enough for it.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2021 13:12     Subject: Re:Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
My 9 year old and 11 year old both love Stranger Things. They weren't scared but they don't scare easily. They also love Gravity Falls.
Anonymous
Post 08/16/2021 13:07     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Our 9 year old would be too freaked out by it, but that's just her. I'm sure a few of her friends would LOVE to watch it. Maybe we'll try Gravity Falls first and see how that goes.
Anonymous
Post 08/15/2021 22:40     Subject: Did your 9 year old watch Stranger Things?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Op here. I wonder if there's a show out there with similar themes geared towards younger kids, without the older teen stuff. I do think ds would like the mystery and the story line about the younger boys and the general idea of what's going on with Eleven.


Gravity Falls?


Op here. We love Gravity Falls!


Infinity train?