Would you let your 13-year-old child watch dating show Love Island?
A mother posed this question on Mumsnet and sparked a huge debate, with scores of parents commenting on the matter. She asked if it was unreasonable to not let her 13-year-old daughter watch the ITV series.
She wrote: "She keeps asking to watch it, she kept asking last year as well. DH (dear husband) thinks she’s ok to watch it but I disagree, AIBU (Am I Being Unreasonable)?
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"I’ve never watched it so don’t know what it’s like really. I just think that 13 is a bit young for something like Love Island, this is only based on the little that I know about it though."
Some parents responded by saying it was ok for teenagers to watch the programme. One commented: "I don’t see the issue tbh and all of her friends will be talking about it!"
Another added: "I would let her - it opens up discussions about what is and isn’t ok in relationships - watch it with her and see what she thinks." A third said: "It's a good opener for chats about unhealthy relationships and fake body image."
One mum wrote: "She will just watch it at her friends houses if you don't allow it. She's 13 not 3." And another replied: "I didn’t want to let my dd (dear Daughter) watch it. But all her friends were. I decided we would watch it together.
"If anything, I think it helped with discussions around cosmetic surgery and bodies in general, along with healthy relationships. She got bored of it within a couple of weeks. Forbidden fruit is always more interesting."
However, a number of people felt the show was inappropriate for young teens. One parent said: "It's a pretty unhealthy programme. I wouldn't want my daughter to watch it."
Another added: "My 16 DD (dear daughter) watches it. It's utter garbage. I slag her off about so she know that this is not real life. Didn't allow her at 13. Far too explicit."
One comment read: "I watched last series.....there is less talk about sex than there used to be but it's still there. My daughter is 13 and won't be watching it. She doesn't have any interest thank goodness.
"It's an adult programme with adult themes. And unless you are watching with an adult filter then it's a pretty poor programme. And potentially able to damage young children's self esteem - if they look nothing like the contestants but aspire to."
And one person said: "It’s a toxic show, no way I’d let a young teenager watch it."
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