Parents facing age dilemma over Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Tickets for midnight screenings sold out months ago and with many schools breaking up tomorrow, the rush to feel the Force is only just beginning and the pressure on parents to take their families to see the hottest film release of the year (and then see it again. And again...) can only increase.

But at what age should children be exposed to Wookies, stormtroopers, droids and Ally McBeal’s ageing boyfriend?

The Force Awakens is rated as 12A by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) who consider the film to be suitable for children aged 12 and over, but younger children may watch the film if accompanied by an adult.

Many parents are likely to have a good idea of their offspring’s levels of comprehension and with many deluxe cinemas now offering the chance to watch a film from the comfort of a sofa, there is always somewhere to hide when the going gets tough.

According to the BBFC, the film features frequent scenes of moderate violence including the use of blasters and lightsabers and dogfights between spaceships, and brief and limited images of blood and injury.

The film also contains “occasional scenes of moderate threat” including characters being interrogated using ‘the Force’, which it is implied causes them pain, and characters being held at lightsaber-point, and there is infrequent use of “very mild” bad language such as “hell” and “damn”.

Parenting forums are awash with questions today about whether it is responsible to take children as young as four, according to posts, to the hotly anticipated movie, which has a 12A classification.

It seems that many young children have watched the previous films with their Star Wars-fan parents in the comfort and emotional safety of their own living rooms, and are now determined not to miss out of the cinema experience.

Members of the parenting website Mumsnet are currently in the midst of a lengthy debate on the subject, with one mother questioning whether she should take her five-year-old.

She wrote: “I know I’m officially ‘allowed’ to, but would usually check film content (by watching it) before making a decision about whether it’s appropriate for him. He loves Star Wars and has asked specifically to see it at the cinema.”

Another mother replied: “I’m taking 4 year old daughter to see it and I wouldn’t usually take her to a 12A film.

“She’s well versed in the Star Wars films and really wants to go, but I’ve booked seats at the end of the aisle at the front so if she gets scared I can take her out without bothering other cinema goers.”

Another parent posted: “If a 12A film were suitable for five year olds it would be given a PG certificate.”

Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch UK, said: “Many parents will remember the original Star Wars films of the 1970s and 1980s, which were lower ratings.

“Of course, what made a PG then is very different to what makes a PG now and I think that’s part of the problem actually.

“I would really caution against taking a four-year-old to this film. Apart from the fact they won’t really understand it, at that age they play out what they see. I haven’t seen the film but from what I’m hearing it is more violent that the original films.”