Today I’m going to be talking about a serious topic that I feel needs to be addressed. The topic is about whether or not art and media should be restricted to certain age group or not. Should a man over thirty years old be able to appreciate Harry Potter? Should someone under the age of eighteen be allowed to watch Game of Thrones?

This is a very opinion-based topic and I feel very strongly about mine. I’m not going to tell you that my way is the only way but I am asking you to hear me out. I think that movies, books, television, and other forms of media should have little-to-no restriction among age groups.

No, I’m not saying that you should watch Game of Thrones with you eight year old child, but when that child is old enough to think for himself and make his own decisions, then let him do as he pleases.

What a lot of people don’t seem to understand is that when you restrict something from somebody it makes them want it more. Maybe if you allowed them to do what they want but at the same time tell them the pros and cons of whatever it is, they will listen.

Also, no adult should be treated lesser for liking something “geeky”. What someone enjoys is decided by them and them alone. It’s like telling someone they can order ice cream but can’t pick strawberry because they won’t like it.

Same thing goes for younger people. The argument that seeing violence in movies and TV causes them to do violence themselves is ridiculous. There’s violence in the bible. Should they not be allowed to read that? Violence, nudity, and swearing can be limited by not allowing your children to watch content filled with it.

At the same time, it’s not like the kids aren’t going to be able to find it anyway. Obviously you haven’t heard of the internet. Type anything into the search bar and chances are that you will find it. Like I said earlier, tell a kid they can’t do something and they’ll want to do it more unless you can provide actual facts on why it’s wrong. I know plenty of families who filter their children and it actually scares me because they don’t realize that they are digging their kids into a hole that they’re going to have to find a way out of themselves.

I’ve watched and thoroughly enjoyed Game of Thrones but never once have I even considered stabbing or raping someone. I’ve watched Breaking Bad and Pulp Fiction but I’ve never had the urge to shoot someone or to sell and do drugs.

If someone can’t tell the difference between a movie and real life then there is actually something mentally wrong with them. R-rated movies and “inappropriate” TV shows are not “works of the devil”. They are art and inspirations for many people, including myself. We can’t tell children that the world is all good and nothing is wrong with it, but it won’t do them any good.

TV shows and movies are the gateway into showing children what the world is really like and how some people actually act. Just because Game of Thrones has dragons and giants doesn’t mean that the human characters don’t react like normal people do. They can be relatable.

Of course there are no teenage boys ruling countries and killing people at their will, like Joffrey, but there are teenage boys who have issues similar to him.

If you’re going to tell a little girl to act like a princess why not bump her up to a queen like Khaleesi. Strong-willed, determined, courageous, and sensible. Those adjectives are far better than ones I could give to Disney princesses.

There’s also no soldiers guarding a wall protecting their country. Oh, wait! There are modern day soldiers protecting Americas border who have to make decisions similar to those at “the Wall!”

Different timelines can still be relatable. Why do you think we are still taught Shakespeare?

Adults should not be treated differently based on their favorite movies and TV shows and no young adults should be filtered with what they do and don’t see. If you have any other points to add or a rebuttal, let me know. Thanks for reading!