What is the appropriate age for Doctor Who?
By David Hill
At the beginning, Doctor Who was considered to be a children’s show. It was intended to be a place where children could learn about history, and perhaps get a rudimentary understanding of science and mathematics. However, along its history, Doctor Who changed into more of an adventure program, as the Doctor journeyed through time and space to save the universe from evil.
Yet, there are still aspects of Doctor Who that greatly appeal to children. The different monsters, while perhaps frightening, certainly speak to the imagination. The Doctor dashing off in his magical box, generally serving as a force of good, appeals to those younger minds in search of a heroic being. Of all the beings on television, a child could do much worse than to have the Doctor as a role model.
There is still the question of when is it the right time to introduce a child to the wonders of Doctor Who. My twins, who are currently five years old, have watched the occasional episode here and there. As both can be rather skittish about seemingly random things, we have done our best to show them only those episodes of Doctor Who that are more lighthearted in nature.
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There is certainly a developing enjoyment of Doctor Who in the twins. They love playing with our TARDIS and Weeping Angel plushies, probably because of the noises that they make, although at times my daughter finds the latter to be scary. It appears as though, in another couple of years, there will be two more Whovians in the fold.
This leads to a question, however, with which those of us with children likely struggle – what age is best to introduce children to Doctor Who? Obviously, each child will be different, as their ability to handle the themes and imagery of the program will not be universal. But, in general, should there be an age that we shoot for? Is there an age at which point a child should be able to handle all things Doctor Who?
According to the commonsensemedia.org website, the appropriate age for children to watch Doctor Who is ten years old. This is due to the level of violence and death on the show, while the positives of honesty and virtue are extolled. Ten years of age just feels a bit too high, though.
What age do you feel is, on average, best for children to watch Doctor Who? While it all depends on the child, should there be a general guideline? Let us know what you think!