[PinkMobilePhone]

If you had kids, or were babysitting kids, or had young nieces/nephews (whatever) - young kids say aged 2-7 years old - would you censor the songs they listen to?

If a song came on that had sexual content, would you turn it off?

If a song came on that had swearing, would you turn it off?

If a song came on that had both sexual content and swearing, would you turn it off?


I'm asking because I usually always censor the songs my kids listen to, but it's a bit annoying as some of my fave songs have swearing in them, but other people are saying that they don't censor songs as they hear worse at school....

but surely, even if they hear worse at school, they are told that this is naughty and people shouldn't be swearing. Thus it seems a bit hypocritical to leave songs on with swearing or whatever, saying "it's okay to listen to this, but not okay to repeat it". Isn't it? It's almost giving it an acceptance.

Thoughts?

[ct2k7]

Kids have a lovely tendency to repeat what they hear.

I constantly repeated ****ing after someone said it.

[Sazzy890]

I used to listen to songs with sexual content without realising it when I was small, like that song by the bloodhound gang - the bad touch... "you and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel" My mum used to think "if only you knew!", but she let me listen to it because she knew that I wouldn't understand.

I'm not sure I'd feel entirely comfortable with sexual songs being on around my children (if I had children) though, even if they couldn't understand them because *I* know what it means. It would just feel weird, especially if they started singing it. (Reminds me of the scene on Eastenders where a little kid asked "what's a disco stick?")

As you say it's hypocritical to say that swearing is bad but let them listen to songs with swearing on, and as the poster above says, kids repeat what they hear. So I'd definitely censor swearing ones.

[2ndClass]

2-7, yeah I'd like to preserve their innocence a little. 10 and upwards, no.

[Sazzy890]

(Original post by 2ndClass)
2-7, yeah I'd like to preserve their innocence a little. 10 and upwards, no.

What about 8 and 9 year olds?

[EGjeff]

(Original post by Sazzy890)
I used to listen to songs with sexual content without realising it when I was small, like that song by the bloodhound gang - the bad touch... "you and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel" My mum used to think "if only you knew!", but she let me listen to it because she knew that I wouldn't understand.

Nowadays stuff like that is everywhere isn't it

Heard a friends toddler singing the Flo-rida 'whistle song' the other day, just thought 'if only you knew'

[(:Becca(:]

I can quite clearly remember dancing to "Sex On The Beach" at a primary school disco, totally oblivious to the actual meaning.
I'd probably assume they wouldn't know what was going on anyway.

[sammy-lou]

Swearing I turn off because they're likely to repeat it. I don't disapprove of swearing generally at all, but I think it sounds vulgar coming from a young child, and they often won't know the meanings of the words they say.

As for sexual content, generally no, I would leave it on. Any songs with sexual content that I heard as a child just went completely over my head, and I'd sing the lyrics by rote more than understanding them. Unless it's particularly explicit or offensive I don't think there's any real harm done there.

[a_n_o_n]

I have brothers who are 12 and 9, they've never had their music censored. Pretty hard when you're growing up with a sibling who is 7/10 years older than you really and my parents would never censor me playing my music around them unless it was really explicit sexually/had a serious amount of swearing in. The sexual content goes wayy over their head I think and although they are quite bad about swearing at home they wouldn't ever swear outside the house. They're old enough to know that that's not ok. So unless music is incredibly graphic/sweary then I don't see the point!

[ROYP]

I'd censor nothing

[boba]

probably swearing ones as I wouldn't want them running around repeating it all the time but not sexual stuff as it just goes over their head, or it did for me when I was little anyway.

[Cake Faced Kid.]

I never had songs or books censored, and I can't see it's done me any harm.

My seven year old sister does enjoy the occasional erotic style dance to S&M by Rihanna though, but the words don't mean anything to her.

[pseudonymegg]

Used to dance around to the Venga Boys- Boom, Boom, Boom ... then listened to it recently thinking, Oh no!

[TheSownRose]

Swearing, yes. Sexual content... It depends how obvious it is.

There are songs that I listen to that are about sexual relations, but it's not obvious at first (it took me a while to get some of them ) and I doubt whether a little kid would be aware of those undertones at all. Heck, when I was a kid I happily listened to I Touch Myself and all manner of AC/DC delights including Touch Too Much and Heatseeker without questioning what they are about, and the ones I'm thinking of are all more subtle than that.

However, there are some blatantly obvious ones that will at the very least raise awkward questions that I would try to prevent my child from hearing.

[h4mza]

Yeah i wouldn't want my family to inherit criminal American culture by listening to their crappy music.

[syrettd]

I remember singing Tom Jones' Sex Bomb when I was a kid. My dad went "WHAT???" and someone had to explain it was a song. After that he was fine.

[fire2burn]

No I don't believe in censorship, it's a load of piffle. My parents never banned me from violent movies or music with swearing/sexual themes so I'd see no need to. In any case banning things just makes them more alluring and attractive.

[kingme]

At first I was going to go for sexual stuff, but the thing about making a point of censoring something like that just makes a child think 'ooooohh, i wonder what that means'.

Quick question though - has radio friendly pop always been as obviously about nookie? This thought occured to me listening to the subtle innuendos of Usher's ballad 'Scream' :L

[StacFace]

If I was babysitting then I wouldn't unless I'd been told to by the parents, I wouldn't want to interfere if they don't mind their kids listening to that and would feel it's not really my place to do anything. If it was my kids then I wouldn't rush to turn off a song unless it was obvious or constant, but I would try to prevent them listening to stuff like that by, for example, downloading the 'clean' versions of songs when I download music so that if they listen to it they don't hear any swearing etc.

[alexmagpie]

(Original post by kingme)
At first I was going to go for sexual stuff, but the thing about making a point of censoring something like that just makes a child think 'ooooohh, i wonder what that means'.

Quick question though - has radio friendly pop always been as obviously about nookie? This thought occured to me listening to the subtle innuendos of Usher's ballad 'Scream' :L

Listen to the Spice Girls "Two become one"

I cringe when I think about my seven year old self crooning "wanna make love to ya, baby" in a hairbrush, but I almost certainly did.