Booking Through Thursday - Censorship

On the question of censorship for kids...

I think most of us are probably against censorship on principle, but … do you think it should vary depending on the impressionable age of the readers? Or is it always wrong? How about the difference between ‘official’ censorship by a government or a school system, as opposed to a parent saying No to a specific book for their child?

This is a really interesting topic, and there was a great blog post that inspired it. 

I feel strongly that censorship of books in any kind of official capacity is Grade A Ridiculous. A parent saying no is a personal choice and not something I'd interfere with, but when a government or school system bans books due to subject matter, that frightens and appalls me. I (and my family) should be allowed to decide what I'm morally ready for - not an institution made up of people with potentially vastly different beliefs and values.

I know that when I become a parent I will follow the same rules my mother used for me. If they're old enough to read it, let them read it. I read a lot more sex and violence at a young age than I ever saw on TV or in movies. And I'm pretty sure I learned more about sex and violence from written fiction than I did from any visual media (which seems to use it mostly for shock value rather than story integrity and progression).