Should children under 13 have a separate seating in airplanes to prevent them from seeing violent movie images?

Yes

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by Timothy D Heard

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When movies containing violence and adult content are being shown during an air-flight, precautions should definitely be considered in an attempt to ensure that they are not available for viewing to children under the age of 13. But there is another concern which should perhaps be addressed prior to in-flight movies even being available: Is there even a need for movies of this nature to b shown during a flight?

Assuming that the topic in question is concentrated around flyer's who live and travel within North America, then we can safely assume that the vast majority of flights, on average, fall within the 8-10 hour flight travel time period. Anyone who has ever flown can agree that flight travel, no matter how short, can be very uneventful and require some sort of time-consuming activity. But is the demand for movie viewing really that necessary? There are so many other activities available in order to pass ones time; puzzles, books, personal video players, MP3 players, conversation, studying for students, paperwork for the travelling businessman, and if all else fails, you can just sleep your flight away. Remember, we are only talking a period of time, on average, consisting of less than 12 hours. And even for those who are travelling much greater distances, this list of possible time-consuming activities should apply even more so to you. Most flights consisting of great lengths of travel usually involve major adjustments in World Time Zones, so the "sleep factor" should become even more appealing in order to help counteract jet-lag.

When it comes to a simplistic view of flight travel entertainment, movies and videos may be enjoyable, but they are definitely not necessary in order to comfortably survive through these particular periods of boredom. Most of us spend more daily time away from this form of entertainment anyway, so why is it so hard to abstain from it during an airline flight? Perhaps we have become too dependent on this"babysitter of boredom."

But the fact remains; movies will be shown during airplane travel and will most undoubtedly continue to be shown for as long as air travel continues to exist. And as long as there is video entertainment being shown within any venue, much of it will inevitably contain violence and adult content unsuitable for younger audiences. So, yes, it is very agreeable that precautions should be taken when conducting seating arrangements within traveller capacities. But there is not an easy solution to this problem. There are too many possible seating scenarios to be considered, all of of which fall short of satisfying this predicament. Most parents are adamant that there children be seated within a safe range of themselves, but even if a parent is satisfied with their child or children not necessarily being seated within the same area as they are, does this make other possible seating arrangements any more logical? Should children under 13 be seated with their parent/guardian until the showing of a movie and then reseated within another area of the airplane until it finishes? Should all children under 13 be seated in an entirely different area than the adults during the whole flight? Should children have their own airlines and airplanes designated just for them and their needs? Considering possible solutions to this situation can only become more and more ridiculous with thought. The time and financing needed to satisfy this concern by way of any of these illogical solutions is completely unjustifiable. Short of blind-folding and plugging the ears of all children during flight movies, there really isn't a solution. Or is there?

One over-looked possibility in the quest for airflight video entertainment, is one that should actually be the most obvious; play movies and videos rated for all ages. To most travellers, this may not be their ideal choice, but remember, this is only an airplane flight, not a week in a remote cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness. Show a little patience and self-restraint.

Unless the airline corporations lose their financial common-sense or every citizen becomes wealthy enough to afford their own airplane, unfortunately, movies unsuitable for younger viewers will continue to remain as an in-flight form of entertainment. But then again, the vulgar language your child hears on the school playground or the violence they observe on television within their very own home will also remain. Hmmmmmm....!

Please enjoy your flight.....destinati on: DealWithIt, U.S.A.!

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