What Is The Age Rating Of Stranger Things 4? Parents Guide and Review
The kids from Hawkins are back on the small screen in a very big way. If your family has been fans of the Netflix show Stranger Things, you probably want to sit down and watch this one together as well. But is the 4th season of Stranger Things ok for kids? What ages can watch Stranger Things 4? In this parents guide, we’ll give you the Stranger Things 4 age rating and let you know just how scary the season is looking. This review will help you decide if it is safe and kid-friendly for your family. ps- check out the best quotes from Stranger Things 4 and make this Stranger Things upside down sundae!
Table of Contents
About Stranger Things 4
It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins.
Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier.
In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
Watch the Stranger Things 4 trailer here.
Recap Stranger Things Seasons 1-3 here.
What Is The Age Rating Of Stranger Things 4? Parents Guide and Review
These kids have come a long way- and through A LOT- to get to the 4th season.
And we’ll say it upfront: Stranger Things 4 is much scarier and horror-focused than the other seasons by far.
Is Stranger Things 4 ok for kids in your household? Is it too scary?
This parents guide for Stranger Things 4 will help you decide if your family can handle the gore, violence, language, sex, and nudity. We’ll also give the Stranger Things 4 age rating and recommendations.
Please note: this is based on the first 2 episodes of Season 4. We will update as we watch more if something changes our age rating and recommendations.
Language: Stranger Things 4 Parents Guide
If you have teenagers of your own, it will come as no surprise that this group of kids is experimenting more with swear words and intense language phrases.
This does seem to be amped up over the previous seasons, so if you were on the fence with the language before, you may be tipped over the edge with Stranger Things season 4.
Your family will hear: d@mn, sh!t, puss!es, son of a b!tch, pr!ck, h@ll, bull sh!t, holy sh!t, @ss, b!tch, butts, and one F-Bomb. There only seems to be one so far.
Other phrases like oh my g-d, g-d d@mmit, J@sus, J@sus Chr!st are used a fair amount.
Characters flip the bird too.
Age Rating For Stranger Things 4: Is Stranger Things 4 Safe For Kids When It Comes To Sex and Nudity?
Kids are K-I-S-S-I-N-G in Stranger Things 4, which seems on par with early high school exploration. Making out is going to be a big topic for these pubescent children.
As far as nudity, a male character is seen shirtless.
There are also some sexual references mentioned that could be a bit racy for your family.
More may be coming down the line as far as sex and nudity, but this is what we know from the first 2 episodes.
Is Stranger Things 4 Ok For Kids? Mature Topics
A girl seems to have an eating disorder and is seen throwing up at school.
There’s also a storyline about grief that may be too much for a young kid to watch.
Stranger Things 4 also has drug use that wasn’t seen in previous episodes.
El is bullied in her new school and there are scenes of torture.
Violence and Gore: Is Stranger Things 4 Too Scary For Kids Under 12?
Holy wow, this show just got really intense compared to the last season.
It’s always been on the edge of scary but not too scary for kids, but this 4 is really upping the fear factor.
Nightmares- some with dire consequences (the kind you don’t wake up from) could really impact your child if they, too, suffer from nightmares.
It’s dark and twisted, which may thrill some kids in your house. Bodies are broken and twisted, eyeballs blown out, and a lot more blood than in previous seasons.
We definitely think it’s shaping up to be the scariest season of Stranger Things yet with more violence and gore shown.
Viewer Alert: Recent Events Trigger Warning Before Watching Stranger Things 4
Netflix added a warning before the show in light of the recent school shootings in Uvalde, Texas.
The opening 10 minutes shows multiple children brutally slain with blood and horrific body images on the screen.
This may be way too much for kids to process at this point. You may want to forward past and verbally fill in rather than let them see the scenes.
Stranger Things 4 Age Rating: What Ages Can Really Watch This One?
Stranger Things 4 is rated TV-14 for horror elements and language.
And if you were wondering, the previous seasons were also rated TV-14. But this is definitely a step up.
What does this mean for kids in your household? What ages can watch Stranger Things 4?
As always: you know your child best.
If your children have seen the previous seasons of Stranger Things and have an interest in horror and don’t experience nightmares frequently, you can probably let them start this season.
But if you were thinking of starting the whole series with your tweens now that the 4th season is out, you may want to wait a bit longer.
Can A 10-Year-Old Watch Stranger Things 4?
Let’s be clear: Stranger Things 4 is a scary, terrifying at moments, gross and gory show.
It’s horror vs horror lite, in our opinion. And we’re only 2 episodes in; we expect it to get more intense.
Compared to Multiverse of Madness, we think Stranger Things 4 is more likely to be shocking and possibly traumatic for young kids.
If you kept your kids from seeing that one, then keep them from seeing Season 4 for now.
We’d say no when it comes to kids under 10 watching Stranger Things 4. It’s scary and not kid-friendly in the least!
And we’d highly suggest waiting for your children to be 12 and older before letting them watch this season. TV-14 seems a pretty good rating for this one.
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Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
Stranger things is clearly an 18