Fifty Shades of Grey
discussion
Should there be an age limit to reading explict books?
I think books should be like movies and eroticas should be rated NC-17.
It's intended for adults. However, if there are 14 yr olds out there that are mature and can handle it, then whether or not they should read it should be between them and their parents.
i agree, this book would be better suited to adults who understand the underlying themes throughout, an age limit should be set as with films and games, i'm not sure about what would be a good age tho. interesting to think about how this book fits into society and the reflection of society it has...looking forward to reading the second!
I don't think I'd want my 14-15 year old reading about deep-throating. Sorry, but Anna is really descriptive in FSoG. The story is explicit and if it were made into a movie based on the book dialogue alone, it would be X-Rated.I'm really open-minded, but I have limits for my kids.
The real challenge is: How would you regulate the sale of a book if it was restricted?
Yes, I do think there should be an age limit to this genre. I don't see how a young teenager could understand Ana's feelings or her descriptive sesations. I know teenages are active but do they really know what they're doing? I doubt it. Unless they are/or have been with someone more experience...which can be a little disturbing to me.
Lorena wrote: "Yes, I do think there should be an age limit to this genre. I don't see how a young teenager could understand Ana's feelings or her descriptive sesations. I know teenages are active but do they..."
completely agree with you
Mocha Spresso wrote: "It's intended for adults. However, if there are 14 yr olds out there that are mature and can handle it, then whether or not they should read it should be between them and their parents."I agree with this..Society and other adults can suggest what we think is best, but I do not believe it should be legislated.
This is a decision between the reader and their guardian(s). I also believe that these, "guardian(s)" should be ready to discuss and provide info when questions arise from the reader, since they are allowing this material to be read. A young reader of this type of material should not be left to figure it all out by themselves.
I wouldn't want my Daughter reading it until she is at least the legal age for sexual activity and have some form of idea how complex relationships are. It's not just about the graphic sex scenes, it's the underlying emotion and hidden depths of the scenario's that take place that needs to be understood. In England the legal age is 16, so therefore I would want her to be at least that age, maybe 17/18 if I'm honest...
Admat97 wrote: "The real challenge is: How would you regulate the sale of a book if it was restricted?"Do like video games and give them a rating.
I think it's an 18+ book myself, but I'm not sure if I agree with restrictions or not.
I think so. I mean there are age restrictions on movies and video games. God knows I read some Stephen King books as an early teen that I probably shouldn't have.
Ashley wrote: "I think so. I mean there are age restrictions on movies and video games. God knows I read some Stephen King books as an early teen that I probably shouldn't have."I think the restrictions show come from the household/parents - after all Parents have a responsibility to their children
No, I do not think sexually explicit books should have an age limit. I am saying this as a mother of 2 girls. Our society has a strange, and in my opinion unhealthy inclination to view sex as wrong, but violence as just fine. I don't see how people can be up in arms about teens reading 50 shades when The Hunger Games or Lord or the Flies is required reading in school. Honestly when my girls are 15 or 16 I would rather them be reading about one adult giving sexual pleasure to someone they care for, than reading about what it feels like to kill another person.
Because Hunger Games and Lord of The Flies are scenarios that our children will most like never experience. Since sex is one that they will experience, they should be exposed to healthy, loving relationships...not deviant ones, at first. I don't think my children will end up killing anyone. I think that's why it doesn't bother me. But most people don't consider tying someone up, belittling them, shoving foreign objects in the them and hitting them to be "one adult giving sexual pleasure to someone they care for". I don't think that would be healthy for a child/young teens psyche. Please understand that I have nothing against the choice for alternative types of sexual relationships, but a child is not equipped to differentiate.
Christina wrote: "No, I do not think sexually explicit books should have an age limit. I am saying this as a mother of 2 girls. Our society has a strange, and in my opinion unhealthy inclination to view sex as wro..."As a parent we are to guide our children into adulthood and we can only hope we have done a good job. I believe this decision on reading material, video games, movies etc belongs within each family and will need to fit within their belief system. I am opposed to handing family decisions over to the government to legislate - I do not like giving up my right to make a decision or change my mind
As to if a teen is capable of handling alternative sexual relationships, it depends on the teen. I read The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty series before I was 16 and was not scared by it. That series puts this one to shame on "deviant" acts. :) I never had the desire to be trussed up, lead around town by a horse and spanked in public. At the time, I was turned off by the series and did not get what all the hype was about. Communication is key, I had open parents I could talk to comfortably about sex and what I was reading. I had a long discussion with my mom and she was able to explain that it was okay for people have different sexual desires. Do I think this series should be handed out to kids, of course not. But, I think if my teen wants to read the book EVERYONE is taking about, I am going to let them and encourage them to talk to me about what they are thinking while reading it.
As for kids not experiencing violence. No I don't honestly think kids are going to be thrown in an arena or a deserted island to fight to the death. However as much as I wish it were true that kids killing kids was a thing of fiction, but the nightly news tells a different story.
Christina wrote: "As to if a teen is capable of handling alternative sexual relationships, it depends on the teen. I read The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty series before I was 16 and was not scared by it. That series..."Good point of view - I applaud your parents for providing you with the tools to see more then just one side to tough decisions.
It also seems like "we" spend more time worrying about things sexual (don't ask don't tell; this book) then the violence we have in out cities. Aren't there other things more important that we should be worrying about?
Paris (kerbytejas) wrote: "Ashley wrote: "I think so. I mean there are age restrictions on movies and video games. God knows I read some Stephen King books as an early teen that I probably shouldn't have."I think the rest..."
Agreed but there is nothing to stop a child from picking a book off a shelf in the library. Its not like they are kept behind the counter. But for me the same goes for violence and anything else not appropriate for younger people.
There must be age restrictions for what a child can read like the movies. Books are to broaden the young minds and to educate them in a good way. Reading a book written in filthy language won't help them in anyway.
I recommend "Cuquita", by Thomas Matthew is a good story, very entertaining. I recommend it for everybody, young or old.
I'm not sure how I feel about age restrictions. Being carded for a book seems kind of silly to me. I personally wouldn't want my daughter reading this until she was at least 16-18. I also think there's more to this book than just sex, and I'd like my daughter to have some kind of understanding and comprehension of the topics this book touches before she attempted to read it. So I guess, I feel like it should be up to the parents to decide. Know what your kids are reading, allow them to ask questions if they need to. If you feel like something might be a bit too much for them, let them know. In the end, if they want to read it they'll find away. Speaking from experience. :)
Does explicit include "violence" or is it just "sex"?And what is explicit exactly?
Keep in mind kids are on the internet and that actually is more explicit than any book out there.
50 Shades - I don't think should be read by anyone under the age of 15. But I do remember reading books like this at the ages of 14-16. Didn't hurt me. I've never gotten into an abusive relationship, actually I'm less that way than people I know that were sheltered, and had to hunt outside the home for these answers.
OTOH...I admittedly cringe when I find out that my cousin is letting her 6 year old daughter watch Glee.
That is inappropriate.
But we are weird in this society. We don't want to show kids sex, but violence? Not a problem. How many kids books are violent? Hunger Games? No sex - but very violent. Harry Potter - no sex, but graphic violence. Etc. Most are. Twilight is an incredibly violent series. Sex is off limits, but graphic violence and torture...not a problem?
I think that there should be an age limit one the sale (or borrowing, in the case of a library) of books such as these. Even if there is an age limit to the sale, some parents will choose to buy it for their children, and some kids will find other ways to get their hands on it, just like everything else with an age limit (alcohol, tobacco, porn, etc.). I don't believe it will stop younger people reading it, I just think that it makes it somewhat harder to get and perhaps cause them to see it as the more mature material that it is. I just don't think we should make it easy for them to get their hands on.
No, I don't think so, because it's similar to video games. Many ten year olds play rated M games. They'll just ignore the warning, besides, it's sex. sex is different from violence. I would understand why people would want to put an age limit of violence.
Melinas:"They'll just ignore the warning, besides, it's sex. sex is different from violence. I would understand why people would want to put an age limit of violence. "Thank you. Feel exactly the same way.
YesI think books should have an age rating like movies. I wouldn't want my daughter reading sexually explicit books at 15. Their already over exposed to sex as it is so why add to it?
There's so many great books out there so I don't think waiting until 16 will hurt
I found out the other day that someone is letting their 13 year old Daughter read the Fifty Shades trilogy, I wasn't the only one in the school playground to shake their head, I think that kind of said it all really...
Christina wrote: "No, I do not think sexually explicit books should have an age limit. I am saying this as a mother of 2 girls. Our society has a strange, and in my opinion unhealthy inclination to view sex as wro..."Would you really let your 16 year old daughter watch a porn film with bondage involved? I wouldn't. mostly in the bit where he wants to pretend to rape her because he found it arousing for her to struggle...
I am not one for regulated people freedoms but I do believe there should be age limit for such books. In this day and age younger people can be greatly influenced by what they read or see, look at what the society has already done in terms of what is 'pretty'. I would be afraid of a youth/teen reading this book and thinking that it is an acceptable form of a relationship. I agree it is up to the parents to decide whether they can read the book or not but sadly most parents buy their children things and do not spend near enough time with them so they would be completely disconnected. It is scientifically proven that the youth and teen years are some of the most influential years of their lives and their development as people. I would never allow my future children or any of the girls in my GS troop or the kids I nanny to read those books. I would respect their choices to do so if they wished, but not at GS meeting with other girls where their parents could not give permission nor would I allow the children I nanny to read the book. (I unfortunately know the children better then their parents)
Deborah wrote: "Because Hunger Games and Lord of The Flies are scenarios that our children will most like never experience. Since sex is one that they will experience, they should be exposed to healthy, loving rel..."I have to totally agree with everything you said.
Deborah wrote: "Because Hunger Games and Lord of The Flies are scenarios that our children will most like never experience. Since sex is one that they will experience, they should be exposed to healthy, loving rel..."I 100% agree with you
I'm 16 and I read this series a couple of weeks ago and was completely able to handle it. My age shouldn't affect whether I'm allowed to read a book or not, I personally think I was able to handle it and thats all that matters
I agree that some people should not read it, but I do not think laws should be enforced on who should read this book or not. That is when it comes down to good parenting and the overall maturity of the person. Rating a book would go against everything that books stand for, you are suppose to be able to learn about the world and in the process learn about yourself. I am against any enforcement of restricting books. Plus.. teenagers learn about sex and all the other parts of a sexual life usually long before the parents suck it up to go into any explanation.
But if there's not an age limit even a 10 year old could go into a shop and buy it and the seller couldn't do a thing legally to stop it.16 year olds may be able to handle it but why put it out there to read in the first place, has it enriched your life or shown you a healthy relationship?
I don't think that its responsible to let someone read this without having the experience of a loving relationship (sex wise), if they are virgins they are going to think that it's normal to wip someone or smack them. Even the character Christian was annoyed to find out to Ana was a virgin, and he never had a "vanilla"experience and he was "fifty shades of fucked up"....
i completely agree!!
I think this should be between the parents and the respective reader...why do all of you parents want to relinquish your decision making ability over to the government? do you not communicate with your offspring? the freedom to choose i very important to me, i do not wish to give more of my personal power over to others (especially the governing bodies out there)..each family/parent should help their child make the correct decision in life and that includes what they are allowed to read and when they may be old enough to read it...come on folks your kids know more about sex at younger ages then in the past.Get involved with your children in heart to heart talks, provide the tools to be good human beings, teach the value of freedom, and this includes the rights of "all" to love in the way they see fit.
Deborah wrote: "I don't think I'd want my 14-15 year old reading about deep-throating. Sorry, but Anna is really descriptive in FSoG. The story is explicit and if it were made into a movie based on the book dialog..."I agree with you. I have a 13 yr old and she's pretty mature for her age (she's an only child and has way older siblings), but she shouldn't be reading about it until she's at least 16 w/my supervision. I just want her to understand that these situations aren't as common and want her to come to me w/questions and not the internet or her peers who probably know less than she does.
I also agree that it should be up to the parents and whether or not we agree, not for us to judge I guess.
Wendy wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I don't think I'd want my 14-15 year old reading about deep-throating. Sorry, but Anna is really descriptive in FSoG. The story is explicit and if it were made into a movie based on..."you are a wise mother...
Paris (kerbytejas) wrote: "Christina wrote: "No, I do not think sexually explicit books should have an age limit. I am saying this as a mother of 2 girls. Our society has a strange, and in my opinion unhealthy inclination ..."Amen, sister! Enough of our freedoms (responsibilities) have already been taken away because the government sees fit how to raise our kids.
Paris (kerbytejas) wrote: "I think this should be between the parents and the respective reader...why do all of you parents want to relinquish your decision making ability over to the government?..."In my opinion, it's not about reliquishing my decision making ability (choices on how to parent) to the government. It's about me being able to decide if I want to buy the book/check it out, for my child. Just because my child couldn't BUY it, doesn't mean they couldn't read it. However, if I choose to have them NOT read it, it would ensure that they can't go into a store on their own and purchase the book (or borrow it from a library) without my consent.
Now yes, I'm not naive and I do realize that kids will get their hands on it if they really truly want to, but at least this would make it tougher to get. It would also alert anyone who might not know what it's about to it's content and perhaps prevent them from buying it for a child accidentally.
Christie wrote: "Paris (kerbytejas) wrote: "I think this should be between the parents and the respective reader...why do all of you parents want to relinquish your decision making ability over to the govern..."have you ever noticed when something is "limited" controlled - it becomes more of a challenge to get? maybe if we just ignored it - Kids might not be so interested in it? Seems like we adults are making all of the buzz on this book, and there are books that are so much worse...
I do not think there should be an age limit. Personally I think I a teen girl or boy is interested in reading this story, they already have an knowledge of the subject. As the mother of three children, our kids are already more knowledgable than we would like. Why not use it to communicate with our children, the subject of sex should not be "a secret"
I don't think there should be an age limit. It should be up to the guardians/parents and children. We should be able to have an open line of communication with our children. I have a friend at work whose 12 year old wanted to read Twilight. She told her mom, and her mom read the book before making a decision.
I'm very open-minded, but why not let our children stay children for a while longer? There are so many books available, why encourage teens to read sexually explicit books? They see too much sex as it is already on the internet and movies - why also encourage them to read it? If "porn" is regulated by age, what else could this series be labeled as but "porn"? Sometimes, parents don't do their job and parent their children, so I feel some level of responsibility on society to protect the children whose parents won't protect their best interests. I'm sure I'll hear backlash for this, but as a teacher, I see a lot of children who know way more than they should at their age just because their parents do not control the media they consume.
Amy wrote: "I'm very open-minded, but why not let our children stay children for a while longer? There are so many books available, why encourage teens to read sexually explicit books? They see too much sex as..."I completely agree. I don't expect my kids to live in a bubble, but I would like their innocence to stay in-tact a little bit longer. Yes, they do sex education at school but it's tasteful and sticks to acceptable guidelines. The media scare us with regards to peadophilia and child safety concerns, and then a parent hands their kid a book about BDSM, sexual exploitation and alpha males... Just not good parenting at all IMO. Lets kids be kids! I still had barbies in my room at 13, but I'm happily married with 2 kids and have a wonderful sexual relationship with my husband. Not knowing those things until much later certainly didn't do me any harm.
Yes. I'm open minded, but there are certain things we should keep away from children. Erotic books being one of them. They have age restrictions on magazines, they should deffinently put them on books to!
Sandra wrote: "Yes. I'm open minded, but there are certain things we should keep away from children. Erotic books being one of them. They have age restrictions on magazines, they should deffinently put them on bo..."I completly agree with you!
Honestly, this is a hard one, putting age limits on anything nowadays is advisory, teens will be teens and many are not as innocent as some would like to believe. While a lot comes down to the parents and how they censor what their children are exposed to, this is made even harder through modern technology, I set tried to show a childrens site that my son enjoys to his teacher, unable to remember the site address I typed in a search for the name, top of the page was, you've guessed it, porn, and that was through a net nanny regulator. These days, unless you are with your child 24/7 they will come across material that is not suitable, I believe the key is to ensure that as a parent, I am open and truthful when it comes to answering the questions resulting from their exposure.I had a very open upbringing, nothing was off limits or taboo, I can tell what is fiction and what is real and I know enough about myself to know right from wrong (hense I haven't acted out anything I've read or seen). Then there is how it would be regulated? what is to stop a child picking up an inappropriate book, film or game, do we take it to the extreme of someone checking what movies you have and only allowing you to have things that are appropriate to the youngest family member in the home or perhaps when you become a parent there should be a switch on Sky that prohibits channels showing anything above a PG rated programme being allowed, extreme yes but today it is no different to when I was growing up, only now violence and sex are everywhere, just pick up a newspaper (or perhaps we should ban those from being sold to minors too, can't because then there would be no more paperboys/girls).
In answer to the question, it would have to be like most things, advisory since it would be near impossible to police.
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My concern now is that is it ok for someone to read this book younger than 15 years of age? OR should it be a personal choice and anyone of any age should be able to read anything?
What is your opinion on Fifty Shades of Grey?