Age Restrictions

[millhouse]

Almost every other form of media has an age restriction, TV has its watershed, films have 15, 18 certificates games have these too, some cds that have bad language have parental advisory stickers on them.

Yet books don't a child wouldn't have been able to watch The Silence of The Lambs but could have access to the book quite easily.

Is this because of the amount of books released during the year?

This occured to me last night and I wondered if anyone has thoughts on this?

PS Jayne if this is in the wrong forum I'll get my apology in early

[Jayne]

It's in the right place, Millhouse.

It's an interesting question too. I read a lot of authors' pages on MySpace when I'm working for John and some of these authors have messages on their pages asking some readers to please leave and not to read excerpts unless they are above a certain age. Whether said readers actually do as they're told is another matter.

[scary claire]

It is an interesting question Millhouse, there was talk a short while ago about putting suggested reading ages on children's books, so maybe it's only a matter of time.

I sincerely hope "they" don't come up with certificates on books as a concept, or even charts on the backs of covers telling you there is moderate language and violence. I'm sick of the nanny state telling me what I can do and think. Grrrrr.

The beauty of a book is that if you don't like it you can close it and walk away.
I suggest that if parents don't want their children reading Silence of the lambs that they don't let them.  Also, radical thinking I know but perhaps the parent might like to choose books with their child, and discuss what they've read. I know a lot of parents who read a book (or watch a film) before deciding if it's suitable, appropriate and acceptable for their child.
Sorry if it sounds like I'm on my soapbox here, but I am 

[Thistle]

I think if a child is old enough to take him/herself into town and buy their own books they are old enough to read anything that is on sale to the general public.

Slightly unsuitable material would bring the child's reading skills on no end.  Grossly  unsuitable material would be incomprehensible to a child (I know it is to me, and I'm ancient).  I still remember "the maid in the lime green panties" from Catch 22, and reading the Naked and the Dead when I was about 8.  Reading Collette's erotic novel Cheri in the original French did more to boost my learning the language than any amount of traditional homework.

So, if we are talking about books that are generally available in bookshops, no censorship for me