It is extremely helpful to break down movie choices into sub categories so that violence and aggressive behaviours can be sectioned out from those that meet other criteria as high level of interest. Some individuals may find watching the news overwhelming and appropriately avoid these types of interactions due to the volume of negative information that they are exposed to and are personally processing over the course of the day.
Discussions around levels of visible and length of time of the violent or aggressive content within different types of content is helpful in meeting interest levels, avoiding overload and managing peer expectations and conversational needs. Part of the challenge of this is knowing where to look for appropriate content. For those younger children desperate to watch Jurassic Park due to a love of dinosaurs, the Lego Jurassic Park versions may be appropriate as an alternative. Options for kids who like mechanical robotic toys such as transformers can be challenging when movies like the Terminator series have end of world themes with visuals of large scale personal injuries. Adding this to concerns about climate change and social justice issues can be overwhelming with the new vocabulary and visuals included in these styles of films. Going through old films can help identify choices that can be included which may have less intense global themes. Searching online through video sites which display trailers can help parents and therapists identify which films are appropriate. Discussing and showing the kids options through use of film trailers or TV trailers can help the kids feel less like they are being forced into ‘not’ watching something but help them to make their own decisions in the future and be able to communicate this to their peers when deciding if they want to go see a movie with them or whether they want to avoid that particular movies and suggest another one. Going through a storing items within personal lists on streaming services can make it easier for kids / teens to find appropriate content more easily. Looking at websites such as Common Sense Media can provide greater detail to help make choices.