I have a confession. I have yet to watch Stranger Things. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s right up my alley with its 80’s noir science fiction drama with young people solving a dark mystery. It also seems that everybody is watching the show, and with Season 2 out today, I am seeing it in my news feed all the time. And I’m tempted.
The thing is though my daughter wants to watch it too, and for many of the same reasons.
Stranger Things is the new breakout show on Netflix. It started last year and everybody was talking about it at that time. If, like me, you haven’t seen it yet then here’s a recap. It’s a sci-fi drama where a child goes missing and there is a mysterious, dangerous creature involved, one that is only heard, never seen. It’s all very creepy and scary, I hear. The mother is terrified, and she along with her older son and the police and other friends search for the missing boy. There’s a lot of scary stuff along the way. You can read the plot line here on CommonSenseMedia.org.
Totally fun. I know! Something I could binge-watch this weekend for sure!
But my daughter also wants to watch Stranger Things. She likes the dramatic, sci-fi genre and the part where kids are investigating the mystery. To top it off – all her friends are watching it. All of them. They even have a Google Hangout group where they discuss the latest on the show. So what’s holding me back, you ask?
It’s the fear factor!
What the Reviews say
TV viewing is dependent on family preferences and is so subjective but I still like to do my research and look at ratings before I select a show. Both Common Sense Media and Netflix give the show a 14+ rating. My oldest tells me she’s almost 12, and parents and kids on Common Sense Media have reviewed the show as 13+. So we’re almost there. Can you hear the justification in my reasoning? That’s how much I want to watch Stranger Things.
A lot of kids and adults like much scarier fare than we do but my gut tells me to hold off on the show because it is dark. It is scary. It is about missing kids. Children are put in danger. And there’s the death of a friendly and trustworthy character, along with the general sense of foreboding that you may not be able to trust some (many) of the adults.
via GIPHY
So what’s the verdict?
Is Stranger Things Scary?
Yes! That’s why I am a little hesitant to introduce the show to my family. We are still recovering from the heartbreak of Frozen. Remember that scene when Anna comes knocking on Elsa’s door after the death of their parents? She’s lonely and looking for her sister. We haven’t forgotten!
Disclaimer: I am a member of the Netflix Canada Stream Team where I receive special perks. The opinion as always is honest and all mine.
I am also a member of the Common Sense Media Insiders programme; this is a volunteer position.
I haven’t watched the show either, and was just told this weekend that it’s a must-see. Horror/scary movies are definitely not my thing, so I think that’s my hold up. Maybe you can watch the series by yourself, then see if you would want your daughter to watch it (and let me know too!)
That’s exactly what I am going to do. Previously I was going to watch the show with my daughter but now I think I need to watch it first for my own peace of mind….not because I want to watch it…really!!!
Honestly, you guys are being
way to strict on your kids. I let
my daughter watch ST when she
was 12 (she’s 13 now). It’s not
even that scary and to be honest
it depends on what your child
thinks they can take. The own
cast of ST said that there is no
specific age rating and that it
just depends on the child. My
daughter was more intrigued
than scared. She just found the
storyline interesting and didn’t
seem to have the problem with it
being scary.
You’re right in that parents should decide based on what they think is appropriate for their children. I’m all for making educated decisions based on research and facts rather than what everyone else is doing! About the show’s age rating – it is marked as TV 14 on most review sites and on Netflix.
I would like to address something , I am not sure how mature your kids are but I starting watching this show when i was 10 and I wasn’t scared to the point I had to sleep in my parents room or even cried. I also have anxiety and I didn’t find it horrific. I think that its okay to watch it at that age only from my experience. I was a really scared child as well i only started sleeping in my room when I was 10 so I would recommend this for anyone 9+