In the comments section of the August 28th This Week in Publishing, a few people were discussing whether children’s books should be rated for sexual and/or violent content in the same way as movies and video games in order to help parents decide what is appropriate for their kids to read.
And while I wasn’t able to participate, this subject also came up in the weekly #kidlitchat on Twitter.
What do you think: should children’s book publishers rate the content in their books so that parents can determine which books are age-appropriate? Is this censorship or at the very least, could it aid censorship?
And, also importantly: would this help sales? Would a publisher who voluntarily rated the content of their books see a sales bump or would there be an outcry?
If you’re reading via e-mail or in a blog reader, click through for a poll.
I'm against the rating system because I think content screening would be more effective. Many kids books already have a suggested age label, and if that were coupled with brief descriptions of content (like movies are), then parents and kids could monitor what is being consumed. The other reason I'm against rating books, is that it would be misused. Ratings are subjective by nature, content screening is less so; it's either violent or not, sexual or not. Granted, a scale would be helpful in this area. Book ratings would become a weapon in the hands of conservative fearmongers.
What if, instead of ratings (which encourage curious kids to read "bad" books), they just put the age range on the books like some places do already?
Marie Lu said…
"A children's book with a gay couple in it is enough to warrant a warning? Wow…really? Unless there is actually graphic sex, what is so inappropriate about that? Surely it doesn't constitute a warning on the same level as a book with violence or crime in it?"
For some people it might. This is where the issue comes in. Who decides what is important to rate this or that book at such and such a level? Every parent has their own standards for what they feel is appropriate or not, and to rely on someone else's rating system would also be inviting trouble if you felt different than the system.
Forget rating books. Why not read book reviews, flap jacket, scan through it yourself, ask the librarian or book retailer? They're all categorized by age or grade level for the most part anyway.
Or heaven forbid, we're supposedly raising children to have our value system, the level and idiosyncrasies of our choosing, can't we trust them with a book, at any age, and know they would come to us with material they know mommy or daddy thinks is inappropriate?
Sorry to add my comment so late…crazy week. Anyway I am writing my comments after skimming a couple others but not reading the bulk of them because I want to clarify my own feelings on the subject, so forgive repetition: I have several concerns about rating books that make me think it is a bad idea. Most importantly I worry that good literature would be classified in some way as of questionable content leaving trusting parents and accountable school districts to restrict kids from these books. Kids would wind up reading the milk toast of the publishing world. On another level, where on earth are kids supposed to explore the world independently if not through reading? I would hope that parents would be there to talk to a child if s/he had questions about content. I always felt that my kids were better off being exposed to violence, sex, and drugs under my roof (on t.v., in movies, etc.) where discussion was possible and lessons could be learned from discussions. Sorry moms, but this mom wants her kids to grow up questioning and exploring not safely enjoying riskless pass times.
According to my 15-year-old classics reader: NO. Books are already segregated by category. YA books are expected to contain romance and cussing. MG is not. Art is art and ratings are useless and stupid. This could lead to book banning arbitrarily decided by someone who has their own moral compass. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Choice must be protected. Catcher in the Rye may use foul language, but so do kids that age in any setting; so why should the book be banned?
I tend to agree with him. As a mother of 4 I control what they watch, listen to and read. As they have matured to teenaged and adulthood I control less and less, but they have developed filters of their own from seeing what I allowed.
As long as the jacket states anything within the book that could be objectionable, so a wise parent could read it and decide, that should suffice.
At the Hawaii Writer Conference, one person asked in the YA/children writer session, "What content is considered inappropriate for a YA novel?" to which the two presenting the session him-hawed and discussed things like the foul language in PERFECT CHEMISTRY and the sex in…
Okay, well, list several YA novels here!
And, much to my crawling skin's disapproval, someone dared to go into that horrific area called TWILIGHT. A discussion about how it was "mild" ensued and all the older authors surrounding the majorities of my peripheral and personal space writhed about in agony.
I'll curl in a ball and prepare to be stoned and flogged for this one, but I honestly think the answer to this question is very, very based on generation. Older generations–those that have children themselves!–are going to want the ratings.
Those of younger generations, that still look back on high school and junior high with astounding clarity and hear the foul language, hear the sex, in their everyday lives, see no point in ratings.
Nathan – I'm wondering, among the voters, how many have children and how may do not – and who voted which way.
🙂
G.
A GF and I have discussed this in depth – even as far as contemplating a website to do provide content advisories. (swearing/petting/sexual conduct/violence etc We weren't interested in 'warning' people, just telling them what to expect. They can make their own decisions from there. )
Neither of us are interested in censorship (hey, I write erotic romance…), but with YA becoming progressively darker and what we feel is more aligned for adult crossover versus tween cross over, we need the ability to be able to see what is appropriate for them to read now as 9/10/11/12yr olds, vs what we will be happy with them reading as 14-17yr olds.
One absolutely certain way of having kids desperate to read material designed for an older age group is to put an age restriction/indication on it. Teenagers particularly love those little stickers we have in the UK on music and books advising of 'graphic lyrics' or being 'not for younger readers'.
You cannot protect your children and keep them in a bubble. The world is all around them. Experiencing people dealing with an issue in a book helps them to make sense of those things when they come to face them. I was reading adult books at the age of nine – I've had no adverse reactions.
I say yes–in the form of a "content advisory" rating. I realize my values are more conservative than most, so I could see how the rating system would get subjective really fast. But because I like to read cleaner stuff, a content advisory would be hugely helpful when I'm standing in the library (or worse, in the bookstore) trying to decide if I want a particular book. I'm going to be ticked if I blow fifteen bucks on something that I feel guilty reading. I don't have an hour and a half to thoroughly preview each book I'm interested in before I take it home. And people can do what they want with the advisories; ignore them, use them, whatever–so I don't believe that's censorship so much as a reader's aid (like classifying books according to genre.)
If it needs a Content Rating is it a Children's book?
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Wow! This topic is very debatable and as the numerous comments show there are valid arguments on both sides. Perhaps the rating that are already on the books, elementary, middle, YA etc could be better regulated so parents know exactly what to expect within those catagories?
Maureen Hume. http://www.thepizzagang.com
I voted no, not as much from the censorship angle as from the viewpoint that it doesn't work for the movie or music industries. Not only are the ratings usually ineffective, they're highly arbitrary.
It doesn't appear to have much of an affect on music because the worst they suffer is having to devote a little cover space to a parental advisory label. Movies get the worst of it by far. What I find disturbing about the whole thing is that it ends up being the distribution companies censoring their own material in order to hit a certain demographic.
Translated to the publishing industry, that's your editor adding a gratuitous sex scene to your book to hit that sweet spot demographic that reads R rated books. Thanks, but I'll pass.
I'm late to the party, but I would be happy to have rating in general for literature. Not just for children. For example, I would like to know if a book contains profanity. I don't like reading books with profanity, so just knowing if it is in there or not I could avoid starting a book I won't enjoy.
I think it is strange to try to categorize information like that as being censorship, or enabling censorship. It is simply providing information that individuals can use for making decisions.
Is there a concern that people will avoid choosing books with inappropriate content? Is that somehow bad?
I would definitely like to see a content advisory on books. We have them on movies and music so why not books. I'm suprised at people who are saying it will keep children from learning about society. Learning experiences can be age appropriate or not age appropriate. You don't hand your toddler a playboy. Well, some probably do. A parents job is to guide and teach, that's just what we do. I don't want my children to read stories about drugs, violence, sex or alternative lifestyles when they aren't old enough to make value based decisions. I'm sure people who disagree with Christian values would discourage biblical stories that were hidden in books with vague titles. Our country has different culture and value systems and we can show some sensitivity.
I feel there is some confusion out there about which books are really written toward children and which are written for adults. I think the YA category is the most ambigouous. YA is often considered appropriate for children as young as 10 or 12, but the phrase Young Adult suggests that someone reading them should be quite a bit older.
However, I actually feel that most YA books are lacking in adult content which they should have. I feel like there are not enough books actually written about tough topics for people in their late teens and early twenties.
The one fear that I have is that adding ratings might make it even harder for these books to be written as authors may want to reach a broader audience. I don't want to see books that teach valuable lessons about adult and coming of age content be banned because of ratings.
I feel ratings may not express how a topic is broached in a book and it may be looked over when it really could be somethings that is written in a perfectly acceptable way.
View my blog post for more of my thoughts. https://laurynapril.blogspot.com/2012/03/ya-and-need-for-adult-themes.html
There is no such thing as censorship if the book is available, however that book needs to be identified if the subject is indeed outside the confines of that persons age or understanding. I picked up a childrens book for my five year old. Its about two gay penguins. I could care less whether the book is in the library, that is our freedom as Americans to exercise our right. However its my right as a parent to determine, when, where and how I am going to explain homosexuality to my child, not the library, no congress, not the ACLU, or people who feel they know better than the parent. There are certain guidelines and "Common Sense" rules of engagement when raising children. I don't see the playboy section in the childrens are, because our laws do not condone this, our culture does not condone this, and just common sense. Yes, unfortunately, childrens books need labeling to identify when the book details, sex orientation, religion, violence, and language (profanity).