Pre-teens Watch R-Rated and Violent Movies

About 12 percent of children ages 10 to 14 watch extremely violent R-rated movies, according to a new study from Dartmouth University.

The Motion Picture Association allows children under 17 to see such movies only if their parents accompany them.

Researchers asked 6,500 children if they had watched any of 40 violent movies that came out between 1998 and 2002. Boys, minorities, and children whose parents did not restrict their movie choices were the most likely to have seen films in the study, such as "Training Day" (27% of respondents) and "Blade" (33%). This study did not address how children were able to see the films; however, previous studies have found that children most commonly watch them at home on DVD. In one study, 40 percent of under-aged children were able to buy movie tickets to R-rated films without adults present.

"It is quite striking that ten year olds are watching these movies," said lead author Keilah Worth. "Ten years old is not that far away from believing in Santa Claus."

This study appears in the journal Pediatrics.