8 Family Movies Children Should Avoid On Netflix

I have reviewed a lot of movies on Netflix and there are so many that are great for families and appropriate for children. Netflix includes content for many audiences, so there are movies that you should avoid watching with your child because of the content and types of scenes included. All of these movies on my list of eight family movies children should avoid on Netflix are extremely popular, but parents should review the content and decide what age a particular movie is appropriate before turning it on for young children.

Here are eight family movies children should avoid on Netflix.

8. Freaky Friday (2003)

The storyline in Freaky Friday is interesting and appropriate for a teenage audience, but it shows a lot of family dysfunction and includes quite a few swear words. Tess Coleman (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and Anna (played by Lindsay Lohan), her teenage daughter, do not get along. They both have busy lives, but just don’t spend the time trying to understand one another. Tess has a career and is getting remarried and puts her life above her daughter, often putting her down. Anna is very mean and screams at Tess disrespectfully. They go out for a family dinner at a Chinese restaurant and each eat a fortune cookie that transforms them. Tess wakes to find she is in the body of Anna and Anna is in Tess’s body.

7. Blue Like Jazz (2012)

Don Miller (played by Marshall Allman) chooses the most non-religious college to attend so he can run away from religion. While attending Reed College, he realizes that he is ashamed of Jesus and has a really hard time fitting into the culture and making friends. He goes on a journey that helps him discover who he is and how a relationship with Jesus fits in perfect with his life. The journey Don goes on is important, but the movie includes many sexual references, profanity and references to drugs and alcohol.

6. My Girl (1991)

Vada Sultenfuss (played by Anna Chlumsky) is a strange little girl, mostly because she is fascinated with death. She lives with her father in a funeral home and her mother died when she was young. Vada becomes obsessed with her English teacher and takes a poetry class. Her father starts dating a woman named Shelly who is a makeup artist and life just becomes stranger. Thomas (played by Macaulay Culkin) is Vada’s best friend and thinks she is weird, but can’t help but love her. The storyline between the two childhood friends is sweet, but it includes sexual content, some violence, a few swear words and adults drinking and smoking. Many of the scenes also include dead bodies since it is a funeral home.

5. October Baby (2011)

October Baby is a wonderful movie, but it deals with very serious themes of Hannah (played by Rachel Hendrix) surviving being aborted by her birth mother. Her adopted parents are very protective of her and she doesn’t learn the truth about her adoption or her biological mother until she is in college. Hannah is at a crossroads with all the emotions she feels and trying to find her value as she deals with her biological mother rejecting her. I recommend teenagers and adults watch this movie, but skipping it for children because it deals extensively with abortion.

4. Uptown Girls (2003)

Molly (played by Brittany Murphy) is a rich girl in her twenties who spends her life shopping and partying until all of her money is stolen and she has to face reality by getting a job. She becomes a nanny for Ray (played by Dakota Fanning) who is a young girl. Ray’s father is sick and her mother is a workaholic. Molly and Ray develop a relationship and help each other figure out life. Uptown Girls is a great movie, but not recommended for children because of the partying lifestyle and a mother who doesn’t have time for her child. Be advised that there are sexual references and a scene with a character trying to commit suicide.

3. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Robin Williams plays Daniel Hillard, a father who doesn’t want to lose the relationship with his kids as he goes through a divorce. He cross dresses as a Mrs. Doubtfire, an old woman who ends up becoming the kids’ nanny. It becomes tricky when he needs to be both himself and Mrs. Doubtfire. The storyline is sweet, with a father fighting for his kids and trying to make things right. There is mild profanity and scenes including drinking.

2. 13 Going On 30 (2004)

Jenna Rink (played by Jennifer Garner) rink is 13 and she imagines what life will be like when she is older and can’t wait to grow up. A friend gives her magic dust and she wakes up as a 30-year-old woman. She has a boyfriend, apartment and job, but she can’t handle everything because she still has the mind of a 13 year old. 13 Going On 30 movie is suitable for teenagers and older. There are sexual references, nudity, profanity and drinking throughout the movie.

1. The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games movies have become extremely popular, but they are not suitable for young children to watch. There are 13 different districts of people in a society and in order to prevent war, two children from each district must compete in a killing match. Young children have to compete if their names are selected and only one person can win, which requires them to kill their competitors. The nature of the story includes a lot of violence with kids killing kids and one character that is constantly drinking.

With the number of movies on Netflix it’s important to check them out before turning on an inappropriate movie that your child isn’t ready for. Read the comments on Netflix to learn what other parents think about a particular movie. What movies have you found on Netflix that are best to wait until your children are older to watch?

Article by Elise Cleary

I am a Christian writer and editor that lives in northern Michigan and thoroughly enjoy music, movies, TV shows, books and other entertainment with a Christian focus. My favorite song is "Oceans" by Hillsong United because it reminds me that has big plans for me and everyone else who puts their trust in Him. There are many movies that have impacted my life, but a few include God's Not Dead, The Shunning and Letters to God. I also write for www.faithandentertainment.com and love connecting with readers, so please don't hesitate to contact me! When I'm not writing I enjoy watching movies and laughing with my busy toddler and husband.