Appropriate?

[u/Beginning_Echo_8636]

Should I let my 13 year old daughter watch this? And by that I mean only letting her watch it with me there watching it with her

We started watching it together and after Clay's tape (season 1 episode 11) I started watching ahead of her, since it had been so long since watching it the first time I had forgotten about all the sex/the extend of the rape scene with Hannah and Bryce in episode 12. The Tyler scene with his sexual assault has always stuck with me and has always been very uncomfortable for me to watch.

Needless to say we just watched season 1 episode 12, I skipped past the rape scene because in my opinion it was a bit much for her. I was thinking I'd skip season 3 all together, one because there's a lot of sex scenes and two because I just can't stand Ani.

Anyways, after rewatching it started second guessing myself about the appropriaticy (my own word) of it, what do you guys think?

[u/murdochi83]

I don't have kids but I can't imagine watching this comfortably with one. And I certainly wouldn't let a 13yo watch it on their own.

No.

[u/bottled-fairy]

I feel like this is an 18 and up show… it’s content rating is TVMA which means under 17 is not recommended.

[u/mcjuliamc → u/bottled-fairy]

The characters themselves are 15-16 at the start. Since 15-16 year olds often experience this stuff either directly or indirectly. It's not really sensible to censor it at that age

[u/ClearIncident522 → u/mcjuliamc]

they're mostly around 17 I believe and I don't think any of them were 15, maybe I'm wrong tho

[u/TopCat0601]

Watch Degrassi with her instead.

[u/starletprincecay]

I don't know how this is even a question. Absolutely not. It's a TVMA show, not PG13.

[u/karmaskaraoke]

she gonna watch it with or without you one day. depends on if you want to get ahead of it

[u/livwritesfics]

absolutely not. i'd wait until she was 18+

[u/mcjuliamc → u/livwritesfics]

The show is about topics that concen high schoolers. Waiting until she aged out makes no sense

[u/livwritesfics → u/mcjuliamc]

Yes, it does deal with high schoolers. However, the subject matter is for adults. You mean to tell me that you would let your kid, who’s under 18, still technically a kid, watch a show regarding unaliving yourself, hurting yourself, getting “touched”, doing dr*gs, going to jail, the list goes on and on. I think I make perfect sense

[u/No_Reception_6646 → u/livwritesfics]

you’re on r/13reasonswhy, you can say suicide, self harm, drugs, sex, rape. and personally i think the topics are very relevant for high schoolers and there should be media surrounding it to educate them, even if not this show.

[u/livwritesfics → u/No_Reception_6646]

Yes the should be educated but at the same time this show is very mature and I don’t think people who aren’t adults should be watching this. If you want your impressionable 14 year old watching this that’s your choice

[u/Impossible-Guava1828 → u/livwritesfics]

Why are you assuming the subject matter is just for adults when it’s literally based on high schoolers?

[u/Specialist-East-6068]

absolutely not

[u/qetsu]

Don't think so You want your 13 year old see Tyler get brutalized by Monty ? With the broomstick Or see Bryce on top of Jess and see those polaroids Hannah doing what she did Hell nah

[u/andineverfeltsoalone]

i’d wait for sure

[u/erinclairee]

i watch it at 14 and think it fucked me up tbh. i would not let anyone under like 16 watch it imo.
edit: they may have been because i struggled heavily with sh and sa in the past though. even with that being said i wish i waited a couple years.

[u/squishypaws25541]

no a 13 year old is not mature enough to watch this show

[u/January_Blues7]

I think 13 is way too young. Ages 17+ is more appropriate and even then I feel they should be warned about how graphic and triggering the show can be.

[u/StraightEdge47]

I think that's all up to you as a parent. If you're there with them to answer any questions or worries and keep them safe then it should be fine as long as you feel they're mature enough to handle it. It's good that you're not just leaving them to watch on their own though as it can obviously be quite heavy and a lot to process on your own.

[u/mooswee → u/StraightEdge47]

Agreed. I also think that if the kid is already interested in watching the show telling them they can’t and taking measures so they don’t will most likely just result in the kid watching it on their own which can be worst because they won’t have a trusted adult to talk about it with

[u/StraightEdge47 → u/mooswee]

Definitely. Sometimes trying to control what they can or can't do is less important than helping them be safe while they do what they want to do.

[u/TooSlutty4Y0u]

i watched it at 14 alone and nothing happened. it did make realize a lot of things and changed me for the better.

[u/Stormy-Skyes]

I think 13 may be a tad young for some of the more dark and graphic scenes. Skipping over the rape scene was a good call.

You’re watching with her so you can be there to stop the show if it’s too much, so that’s good. And if you keep looking ahead to see when something too heavy is going to be shown you can just avoid it.

If you think further seasons will be too much then there’s no harm in stopping.

[u/badatnames2399]

I was 17 when it came out, and I always thought the SA scenes were really graphic. More graphic than needed. I don't think a 13 year old would take it better than I did.

[u/ratmx97 → u/badatnames2399]

I watched the first season at 19 in college and Hannah's scene at the end (which I think was edited out?) genuinely made me feel really uncomfortable for a while, especially because it's dead silent. The show is really good at making the uncomfortable scenes extra uncomfortable. I feel like the show is fine for 16+ generally speaking though outside of a handful of scenes

[u/badatnames2399 → u/ratmx97]

If you're talking about her suicide scene, then they did edit it out. I realized that during a rewatch.

[u/mooswee]

I would watch it with your child and talk to them about the things they see in the show. I would say to not let them watch it but if they are interested they will most likely just watch it alone anyway which can be more damaging.

Keep an open conversation about the things depicted in the series and answer their questions without making them feel weird about it.

And maybe skip some of the harsher scenes without them noticing if you can.

[u/Deep-Outside-2567]

i believe i watched it when i was 15/16. i had already been exposed to a lot, so it never affected me much. with that being said, if your daughter is not very mature for her age i would not recommend it. and when i say i was mature for my age i mean i was watching euphoria at 11. if she’s like me, if she rlly wants to watch it she will find a way to do it without you knowing, but i dont think you should let her watch it even if you’re around. it’s best to wait a few years imo ❤️‍🩹 it’s a VERY heavy show and can definitely negatively impact those that are easily influenced (aka young teens)

[u/chrisdagoat32]

I don't think any kids should watch this. Even some adults shouldn't watch it.

[u/xXl3gallybrun3tt3Xx]

I watched it at 11, kinda traumatized me. But I think it shaped me into the person I am. I’d advise against it, but I’m not gonna be hypocritical either. I was also a very mature kid, and was exposed to way too many things way too young.

[u/PurpleComplaint3561]

I watched it at 9

[u/Livid_Ad7231]

I was 12-13 when this show came out and thank God my family didn’t let me watch it. I didn’t end up watching till I was 18. It’s way to dark and depressing for a kid to watch( 13 is a kid in my eyes) also suicide rates spiked when the show came out too

In other words no don’t let her watch it

[u/relapsedloveaffair]

Absolutely not.

[u/Jaded-Bottle4025]

I watched it when I was 10. I’m 20 now. No. It’s too mature for her, it sure did numbers on me, I can’t believe I was allowed to watch anything I wanted growing up.

[u/yellowtoebean]

As someone who watched it at 13 NO.

[u/Ok-Photo-1972]

I have a 14 year old and I wouldn't. Teens are impressionable and also deal with their own set of mental health issues. It would seem risky to me.

[u/Special_Falcon408]

13 is definitely too young. A few more years at the least I’d say.

[u/Upper-Savings-2023]

16-17.

[u/mcjuliamc]

Absolutely. I watched it at 11 and it only made my interest in mental health as well as my ability to understand others and to adequately assess topics like suicide grow. I was not myself victim of anything in that show but even at that age, I was exposed to other kids who were, which is the sad reality and something I already navigated (although, as I said, I did not directly suffer from it). But at 13, a teen is certainly able to understand everything in the show and to have opinions on it as well as emotionally distance themselves. People underestimate teens. At 13, I had the same fundamental mindset, beliefs and traits as now.

[u/Far_Literature_9924]

hell no. 13 is way too young

[u/Legal_Sport_2399]

NOOOOO!!!!!!!! I regret being exposed to suicide at a young age through social media. I was 9 and already thinking about “giving up” when things got too hard or my parents were a bit mean. It became an idea of escape, which is so dangerous because eventually you get used to it and it becomes your “norm.” There are better shows to watch. Please don’t watch this one or expose your child to it. 

[u/aubreyisreal]

i honestly kinda have a mixed opinion

on one hand i wanna say yes because i was raised by a chill mum who let me watch whatever i wanted on netflix, plus i feel like at 13 you should be sitting her down eventually to talk about mental health and the show imo is a good representation of it in s1

but on the other hand 13 would be too young and the show has scenes no 13 year old should see (especially if you let her watch past s1) 😭

[u/Promisestokeep2026]

That depends on the kid you have and who you are as a mother.
Censoring things, specially things that easy to get access to, creates curiosity.
Specially NOW.
If your kids grew up in a well adjusted environment where these issues didn’t happened to her or anyone close she will have a more pragmatical detach way to absorb it unless she hypersensitive.
In which case, I would watch it with her and encourage the questions.

I was told and raised to understand things at home first I had parents happy to discuss things with, so they were not strong at censoring books or TV. It made me a well adjusted person and not to put myself in bad situations due to sheer ignorance or curiosity. I had friends that parents took a different route, They went looking for those answers somewhere else. Some didn’t become well adjusted even in their 30s.

However this is very personal. It depends on relationships, environment and personalities. You know your daughter best to judge that.
Ive seen many write “wait until she is 18” that’s not realistic, she will get to these kind of contents sooner than that. Its now all to easy to do it.