Should teenagers viewing entertainment be restricted too?

There's the post about reality shows and 10 year old and most would agree that they shouldn't be watched by kids that young. What about older kids 13 and up. Would you let your teen watch anything they wanted on TV? When you were in your teens did your parents restrict what you saw on TV or forbid you from seeing certain movies?

When I was in my teens I had a great deal of freedom (from my parents) but the opportunities to watch "adult" entertainment were limited to begin with. I exercised higher standards with my daughter.

By the time I was a teenager, I saw a lot of stuff on TV but the trick was I had my own TV and watched most of it when my parents weren't around or when they were asleep. Of course in my defense, the crap to watch back then was a lot better than the crap that's on now or likely will be in 20 years.

When I was a teen there was no cable and broadcast TV was PG rated, much like it is today.

There was no Internet and the only smut we could get was the Playboys they would not sell to us but we stole them from the newstand. It was an innocent time.

I believe teens should have access to whatever excites their interest. Restricting it proved futile in my innocent time and the teens today likely had to set up your porn filters for you and even if not they will likely find a way to disengage them.

Adolescent innocence is highly overrated.

As a teen my parents did not restrict what I watched on TV. 13 and up, well.....there is the internet you know so what you don't let them watch on TV they are going to see far more on the internet.

No. By the time they're teenagers, what could a TV or even a movie possibly do to warp them? My parents probably didn't appreciate some of things I watched or listened to when I was in my teens....and may have insisted that I turn it off while they were in the room....but it wasn't a "you can't watch that".

Maybe early teenager, 13-14. By 15-17 it's no use being that restrictive unless it's porn.

AtownPeep wrote:Maybe early teenager, 13-14. By 15-17 it's no use being that restrictive unless it's porn.

I agree with this, 100%.

AtownPeep wrote:Maybe early teenager, 13-14. By 15-17 it's no use being that restrictive unless it's porn.

I agree with this, 100%.

For the most part, I wouldn't say so. By the time they're teenagers, there are more pressing issues for a parent to concern themselves with than what their kid is watching on TV.

Nhaiyel wrote:For the most part, I wouldn't say so. By the time they're teenagers, there are more pressing issues for a parent to concern themselves with than what their kid is watching on TV.

I don't believe in censorship, though I might draw the line at porn at a young age.

But if a say, 12 year old watches an R rated movie that they are ready for, so be it. I watched horror movies WAY young, it just fed my love for the genre I don't believe in music censorship either. As long as the music isn't degrading (like my teen listen to homophobic music), then I don't care if the person cusses. I listened to Tupac way young.... that man was a musical genius. I wish rap still had that depth. My daughter is almost 9 and we watch things that her friends may not be able to watch, and when my daughter has questions we discuss what is going on.

Discussion is better than "Nope, you are too young!"

I wouldn't restrict it too much. Depends on whats on TV. I never git any TV restrictions when I was younger. prob because TV wasn't crap back then.