Parents Growing Desensitized to Film Sex, Violence

Parents are becoming desensitized to sex and violence in entertainment and that's having a direct impact on their children, according to a new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Parents viewed three short pairs of movie scenes featuring either violent or sexual content.

After seeing the first movie clip, the parents said they thought the minimum age for viewing should be 16.9 for violence and 17.2 for sex.

However, the parents were more lenient after watching the sixth and final scene. They said the average age they would accept is 13.9 years for violence and 14 years for sex - lowering the minimum age by three years or more.
 
"We know these scenes are somewhat disturbing to parents," APPC Associate Director Dan Romer said.

"When they first see them, they say you shouldn't let someone younger than 17 see them - which is comparable to an R rating. But they get more and more accepting of that content as they're watching it," he added.

Is this also affecting the ratings for movies? Dr. Linda Mintle, a licensed family therapist, answers this question and more on CBN News Today, Nov. 5