Help Kids Avoid Harry Potter Spoilers

From the Editors of Common Sense Media

April 5, 2007

Q. My kids are really excited about the big "Harry Potter summer," with the release of the fifth movie and the last book. But when the sixth book came out, spoilers were everywhere. How can kids avoid them?

A. Giving out spoilers should be considered one of the unforgivable curses! Fans know what we're talking about. But unfortunately, they're everywhere. Here are some tips to help kids enjoy Potter surprises on their own schedule:

1. If kids regularly visit fan sites like MuggleNet.com, they should definitely avoid the message boards when the book comes out. Content posted by the site administrators includes spoiler warnings, but the message boards won't.

2. For the movie release, images can be spoilers, too. Kids probably shouldn't spend too much time poring over pictures of the latest character additions or watching the trailer over and over looking for details. Early movie reviews and set reports can also be too much. Remind kids that all these together can make them feel like they've already seen most of the movie.

For the entire article, please visit:  http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=219 .