Study Says Kids Who Watch R-Rated Movies More Likely to Drink

Children whose parents allow them to watch R-rated movies are more likely to drink alcohol than their peers, exclusive of any other parenting decisions, according to researchers at Dartmouth Medical School.

USA Today reported April 26 that researchers found that 24.4 percent of middle-school students allowed to watch R-rated movies all the time had used alcohol, compared to 18.8 percent among those who were allowed to watch R movies sometimes, 12.5 percent among those allowed to watch R-rated films occasionally, and 2.9 percent among youths who parents never permitted them to watch such movies.

The study controlled for other parenting decisions and permissiveness levels.

The findings were published in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.