It may seem harmless, and some parents allow children to see horror movies claiming that they are mature enough or that it is just a movie, without being aware of the emotional consequences it can have on them. Thinking that if they entertain them too, but they do not take into account how it affects them to see these types of movies. Let's see why kids shouldn't watch horror movies.
Children's minds
Frights, blood, aggressive behaviors, screams, evil beings, ghosts, ... A child's mind is immature and is not capable of seeing certain things. His childish mind believes that what he is seeing may or is happening to him, you internalize it as your own and can even cause trauma in the short and long term. Your mind is still in the process of maturing and developing, and the events you see or go through will leave their mark on your psyche. The negative consequences in the short and long term are enough to keep children from watching scary movies.
Children under 10 years due to that psychological immaturity, they do not know how to distinguish reality from fiction on their own and they are very influential. Watching a scary movie can cause anxiety, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, insecurities, nightmares, fears and phobias. They may develop a fear of sleeping alone, sleeping in the dark, night terrors, anxiety problems, panic attacks…. And if they see that their parents are scared, they are more scared because of what they see.
Consequences of watching a horror movie
I still remember how, when I was 8 years old, my mothers let us see my brother and me (3 years older) see the "Chucky" doll thinking that it would be a humorous movie. In my little childish mind I was a week without sleep thinking that I had the doll under my bed and I had nightmares for years. My brother, on the other hand, was older and it was not a problem. Today I see it and it makes me laugh but that movie managed to get into my mind for years. I shouldn't have seen her at that age.
In addition, this type of film causes tachycardia that can cause heart problems and anxiety problems that can affect other areas of health. So they it affects psychologically, physically and emotionally.
If horror movies scare older people, they scare children. We soon forget but in her fragile mind lingers long after. These movies have a recommended age for something. This also applies to violent video games.
With all these risks that we are telling you, it is more than remarkable that children should not watch horror movies, especially the most sensitive and fearful children. As much as they ask, if their friend Miguel has already seen her, don't give in. Its psychological effects can be permanent.
Parents should prevent children from watching horror movies
Parents are the ones who have to control that our children do not see this type of content either on television or on consoles. If you want to see a movie and we see that it is classified as scary / suspense, the first thing we have to do is see the allowed age to see it, and if it is inside, it is recommended that parents see it before to check that the child is ready to see it. There are children who are more mature than others, you will have to analyze the scenes to see if they are appropriate to their age and maturity.
Just as you don't let them see erotic movies, don't let them see horror movies. They are not for them, they have many perfect movies for their minds. They will have time to watch scary movies when they are older and ready.
Because remember… for these reasons children cannot see the same as adults.
It seems to me that advising based on your personal experience is not the most correct. All children are different. We all think differently. We all see things in different ways. The experiences are never the same.