My 12yo wants to play this game his friends are playing. It's rated T for teen and he's not quite a teen yet. I watched some gameplay and it seems fine but I also have no idea what I'm looking at. Is it worth just letting him play it or am I being overprotective? What's your cutoff?
With four kids at different ages, I've learned the ratings are really just baseline stuff. You know your kid best. If he's mature enough and you've vetted it, I'd say go for it and just keep an eye on things.
My son's in a similar situation with his friend group. I let him play but we talk about what he's seeing and why things are rated the way they are. Turns out it's a great conversation starter about media and what he thinks is appropriate.
I've been there with my two kids and those rating edges. Honestly, if you watched the gameplay and it seems fine, that's the real test. The T rating is more of a guideline than a hard rule. Just set some boundaries around playtime and you'll be good.
I had this exact conversation last month. What helped was asking his friends' parents what they thought. Turns out most of them had looked into it and were fine with it. Took the pressure off me second-guessing myself.
I go through this constantly with my kids. The T rating is basically a guideline, not a hard wall. I'd watch some gameplay videos myself first to see what the actual content is. Sometimes T games are fine for mature 11yos, sometimes they're not. Better to make an informed call than just go by the rating.
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My rule with my 12yo is we play the first hour together. That way I actually see what's in it instead of just trusting the rating. Sometimes the stuff that gets T ratings is tame, sometimes it's not what I expected. Worth the time investment to know.