Ages 2-7: "Seeing is Believing"
How things look will have the greatest effect on many kids in this age group. Visual images ?monsters or scary animals ?can be deeply disturbing, "whether realistic or fantastic," says Cantor. By age six or seven, kids begin to understand the difference between fantasy and reality, but may still be disturbed by animation as well as live action images. Kids in this age group may also be upset by movies that show the death of a parent (The Lion King), the physical transformation of characters (Snow White), and natural disasters (The Wizard of Oz).

If you don’t want a child in this age group to see a particular movie, you might: Offer an alternative movie, rather than "just say no."

Ages 7 to 12: "Reality Sets In"
Children this age are going to be less disturbed by cartoon images, but are still upset by some realistic-looking threats and dangers, especially when movies depict scary stuff involving kids (child kidnappings, abuse, or issues that a child may have seen or heard about in the news).

If you don’t want a child in this age group to see a particular movie, you might: Say something like, "Lots of kids have had problems with this one." That way, your child is less likely to feel immature, or singled out as the only kid unable to "handle" the flick.

Ages 13 and Up: "Frightened by What We Don’t Know"
Many teens will be troubled by movies about aliens, occult forces, demonic possession, or "unexplained phenomena," says Cantor, who is now studying the effects of The Blair Witch Project on teens. Scary movies produced in a documentary or made-to-look-real format can be very frightening for adolescents.

If you don’t want a teen to see a particular movie, you might: Say something like, "Remember when you saw (such-and-such film) and it upset you? Why don’t you wait until it comes out on video?" Or, if a teen seems determined to see a movie with friends, remind him or her, "Remember, you can always leave the theater, and it’s not a big deal."