While reviewing movie ratings can give you a general idea of what age a movie is intended for, in addition to alerting you about the various types of content that are in the movie (including sex, language and violence), choosing a family-friendly movie requires more than just reviewing the ratings.
How can you be sure that a movie you are considering is truly friendly for your family? Here are 5 tips to help you decide whether or not a movie is a “fit” for your family:
1. Define what “family friendly” means to you
Each family has its own set of values and definitions of what is and isn’t appropriate when it comes to media. Ask yourself where you family draws their lines when it comes to language, sexual content, violence, themes and story lines and only choose movies that align with your values and definitions of what’s acceptable for you.
2. Consider if the subject matter seems appropriate
Consider if the plot of the movie is right for your family. Will seeing the movie make family members feel good? Will it instill fear in younger children? Will it promote sexual thoughts? Or introduce your children to lifestyle choices you’d rather educate them about yourself? Only choose movies you know will leave a positive impact on your family’s lives.
3. Check out Pluggedin.com
Pluggedin.com is committed to giving parents the tools they need to make informed entertainment decisions for their families. It features movie reviews and an array of parenting tools including Movie Nights, which are downloadable curricula that helps promote discussion about family friendly Hollywood movies. Visiting Pluggedin.com and reviewing movies prior to seeing them can help you decide if a movie is right for your family.
4. Choose Dove Approved movies.
The Dove Foundation is committed to encouraging and promoting the creation, production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment. Dove rates movies based on a 5 dove scale, provides in-depth movie reviews and provides movie distributors with a Dove “Family-Approved” seal to indicate the movie has family-friendly content.
5. Consider using a ClearPlay DVD
ClearPlay allows you to watch movies while having the content you deem inappropriate filtered out. ClearPlay skips and mutes movie content based on 12 categories that you can set. ClearPlay filter developers watch movies and carefully create the filters which are downloadable to ClearPlay members. Children’s minds are impressionable. What they see, hear and experience sticks with them. Guard their hearts and minds by selecting movies that are truly friendly for your family and will leave everyone feeling good about themselves and the world around them. How do you choose family-friendly movies? What are your favorite family-friendly movies? Please share your thoughts and ideas on how you choose movies for your own family in our comments section below.
