THE EFFECTS OF SCARY MOVIES ON CHILDREN
While the psychological community now pretty much agrees about the effects of
repeated television and film violence on children, there's still some argument on the
effects of a good scare - or a bad one, as the case may be. After "Jurassic Park"
opened, some mental health professionals posted warnings about the "intensity" of
its excitements, especially for younger children. It's not just that the dinosaurs emit
deafening roars and demolish things - like the monsters of a more innocent
cinematic age - these beasts look virtually real. And what is more, they eat people -
to them, kids are just appetizers. "This movie is dedicated to making you feel like
food," says one psychiatrist. Children handle scary movies differently at different
ages. Regardless of age, however, reactions may depend on how secure a child
feels. "I don't think that, by themselves, most of these movies can cause a terrible
trauma," says another professor of child psychiatry. Likewise, some parents think
that some psychiatrists are too cautious. If most grownups enjoy a good scare, the
argument goes, why deny it to kids? What's the big deal if they have a nightmare or
two - does it warp their lives? All of these points make one nostalgic for creature
features like "King Kong". As Kong-era kids knew without parental guidance, the big
monster never meant any harm to anyone - not even child psychologists. He was
simply in love. But they don't make monsters like that anymore.
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