brandy mcdonnell

In 2019, a survey conducted for the streaming service Tubi revealed that the average age at which people see their first horror movie is 10 years old. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that all kids are in the same boat, we’ve all noticed members of the PG crowd at decidedly R-rated movies. What’s the level of fear they experience during these movies, and how do onscreen blood and gore influence their social expectations? Our members weigh in.

Back in 2017, a CableTV survey about horror movies revealed, among other things, that the average age at which the (presumably adult) respondents saw their first horror movie was 7.2 years old. While that doesn’t necessarily mean that today’s kids are in the same boat, we’ve all noticed members of the PG crowd at decidedly R-rated movies. What is the level of fear they experience during these movies and how does onscreen blood and gore influence their social expectations.?

Research shows that, on average, kids see horror movies as young as 7 years old. And we’ve all noticed members of the PG crowd at decidedly R-rated movies — in fact, when my daughter was in the second grade, she had multiple classmates who’d seen “It.” It’s not realistic to expect that we can shield kids from scary or gory content forever. And, in fact, it can be counterproductive to prevent children from seeing any kind of conflict, loss, or trauma on screen. Far better to use these moments, when they come, as opportunities to help them through hard stuff in a safe place.