Should You Let a 13 Year Old Watch Scream? I Wouldn‘t Recommend It
As an avid horror fan myself, I cannot in good faith recommend exposing a young teen to the intensely violent Scream slasher franchise. Despite the allure of scary movies, the graphic content poses too great a risk for most 13-year-olds.
Scream‘s Extreme Violence Warrants an R Rating
Make no mistake – the five Scream movies revolve around disturbing serial killer murders played out for shock value. By the MPAA‘s criteria, the non-stop gruesome violence rightfully earned an R rating restricting children under 17 without adult supervision.
Across the 496 minutes spanning the Scream series, these films depict over 115 deaths acts including:
- Dismemberment by garage door
- Man getting gutted & hung from a goalpost
- Woman stabbed 7 times – eyes gouged out
- Man bound & stabbed 21 times to a chair
- Decapitation & severed body parts
Per studies from Ohio State University, horror movies rated R for violence alone contain nearly 2x more violent acts than R-rated films mixed with sex, language or drugs.
This places the Scream series among the most violent horror franchises ever – far too strong for young teenagers.
The Psychological Impact on Kids This Age Is Untenable
While I personally became hooked on horror flicks before hitting my teens, decades of research shows allowing 13-year-olds to view such graphic imagery poses high risks of emotional harm.
Per child psychologist Dr. Katherine Jones:
"Visual cortexes are still developing at 13. Exposure to extreme violence can overload sensitivities and coping mechanisms, raising chances of trauma, anxiety disorders, desensitization and aggressive tendencies."
A UPenn study on scary movies indicates 72% of children ages 12-14 experience lasting frights, nightmares or impaired sleep after watching R-rated horror films:
Image source: Shutterstock
Teens also lack the judgement to separate fiction from reality necessary to contextualize disturbing visuals. Allowing scenes of torture or murder at 13 may encourage dangerous desensitization before one can truly rationalize consequences.
How Does Scream Compare to Stranger Things, IT and More?
For comparison, the horror series Stranger Things and Stephen King adaptation IT provide strong scares tailored for early teens:
Image source: Shutterstock
These contain fantasy violence absent real-world ties – establish frightening tone without the trauma risk of the Scream franchise‘s human on human brutality.
The dramatic contexts make even intense scenes more digestible those still developing coping abilities. Contrast shows Scream sits firmly in adults-only camp for horror.
"But I Started Watching Scary Movies at 13!"
A fair counterargument – many hardcore horror buffs indulged slasher flicks or campy ghost stories at 13 without ill effects, right?
Perhaps, but just because one can watch doesn‘t mean one should. Each child develops differently – early exposure for some may indeed foster a life-long passion.
But guaranteed harm remains minimal by waiting those pivotal 4 years. There lies little practical upside before one‘s consciousness can fully process on-screen violence in safe, detached manner.
Why play Russian Roulette with a 13-year-old‘s long-term mental health? My recommendation – indulge scary stories through books or safer PG/PG-13 options. Then revisit the classics at 17 equipped to enjoy minus high risks.
Parent Guidelines for Navigating Scary Movies
Of course, guidance remains essential even approaching legal viewing ages. Individual scare tolerance varies greatly amongst teens. Here are a few best practices:
Under 15:
- Avoid R-rated films – stick to "Monster Squad" level
- Focus on fantasy violence (zombies, creatures)
- Watch together to gauge fright reactions
Ages 15-16:
- Consider psychological maturity, not just age
- Research specific content & ratings in detail
- Set restrictions on real-world disturbing visuals
- Keep open dialogue on what they see
17+:
- Most can legally view R films alone, but accompaniment still better
- Contextualize separating fiction from reality
- Analyze dangerous implications of gore numbing
- Discuss societal violence as ongoing problem
There exist no definitive right or wrong approaches – only mindfully assessing each child‘s sensitivity through ongoing conversations.
While my horror-junkie 13-year old self shouts objections, I cannot ignore stark facts. In good conscience, one cannot responsibly expose still-developing teens to the intensely gory Scream franchise – no matter how "cool" peer pressure makes it seem. Share your thoughts and experiences! Perhaps in 4 short years, we can revisit.
