by Valerie Savran

Created on: July 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 30, 2009

In my candid opinion, parents should be able to have some idea as far as the content of the books their children are reading. For example, more complex texts are more than likely to contain subject matter that may be inappropriate for young children. It couldn't hurt anything by merely having a warning on there, just so that people are aware of the piece they are about to delve into. I am already a highly advanced reader for my age, and likewise mature, and I do not find it at all to be an insult to my intelligence when I see parental advisory labels on CDs, movies etc.

I can't fathom why I would feel differently if they began to appear on books. We are a country, in theory, that makes laws and regulations based on the needs of the masses. Essentially, there is a vast majority of kids who would blithely swipe a novel merely to savor the descripitive sex scenes or revel in the questionable language. We must consider how quickly kids are growing up these days, and the loss of innocence that is beginning to characterize the youth of society.

It doesn't seem like an overreaction to me to inform parents in the hopes of reversing this unfortunate phenomenon. Just like with movies and music, parents can judge what they find appropriate for their children. It is easy to keep parents uninformed, but to me, this partially accounts for children turning promiscuous, uninterested in school, drug-obsessed, and unfocused at a strikingly early age. Books are a form of societal indoctrination just like the overly potent and influential media, and by censoring all information received by impressionable minors, there is a modicum of hope that children will read books for the right reasons.

I firmly believe that a certain level of maturity and understanding is necessary before approaching certain texts, perhaps Brave New World or Catcher in the Rye. Parental notification would help ensure that kids are not in over their heads in terms of adult-like content. Not including ratings would simply allow kids to get away with exposing themselves to material they are probably not equipped to handle. As our deteriorating cultural landscape proves, many teens are engaging in inappropriate activity, and although seemingly old-fashioned, I promulgate that parental involvement, regardless of the issue, will at least lead to better communication among families. When this is achieved, then perhaps less stringent regulations can be negotiated.

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