My kids love it, as do I. While I do think there is stuff that's simply over their heads, that's not what I tend to be concerned about with television. It's the stuff that they're getting that concerns me more than whether they understand the metaphor and subtext. The sex is very tame, and the violence is fairly cartoon-y. Meanwhile, the messages of tolerance, respect and strength are fabulous. Characters are complex and show that everyone has a bit of light and a bit of darkness in them, and that the way we choose to treat our light and dark aspects is what makes us good and bad people. It is actions, not impulses that make us good - a particularly good message for children, who often find themselves in over their heads emotionally. That said, I do not allow my youngest to watch Hush (too scary, it'll give her nightmares) and a handful of other episodes in the first 4 or 5 seasons and I think seasons 6 and 7 are flat out too scary for her altogether. Judging this series in its entirety is difficult, as it evolves, changes and becomes more sophisticated with time.

I love this show, as well as Joss Whedon's other shows, and I do let my boys watch SOME episodes. I self censor because I have seen all of the episodes and I own the dvd box set. So, we watch them together. Most of the episodes are fine for my 11 boys. The heavy, angst ridden episodes or the ones with sex scenes are omitted from our watching. While the episodes, "Once More with Feeling" and "Hush" both have a bit of content I'm not completely comfortable with, the episodes are both hits at my house.

...If I had grown up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead of Happy Days? One can only imagine. I'm a 40-year-old woman who loves this show for three reasons: 1) Buffy is a strong, complex female character; 2) I always felt respected as a viewer; and 3) The writing was consistently among the best on TV. I plan to watch it with my niece and nephew when they get a bit older.

Positive Messages/Role Models: The main female characters are often represented as the strongest and the most capable over most of the male characters. Buffy Summers is a strong girl (in both mind and physical strength) who faces challenges both typical to girls her age and supernatural, often respectively. Although this show portrays strong, intelligent young women, many are often dressed too sexy in many situations. Lots of makeup and spoken worries about appearance often show up on this television show, without giving a clear message that women do not need to be sexy to be likable. Although, saying that, I'll add that one character has shown that she is likable and intelligent and strong, while never needing to wear skimpy clothing and heavy makeup at the same time: Willow Rosenberg, who, may I add, is the first character to be featured in a long-term lesbian relationship on US television. Awesome, right? Talk about a positive message. But I'll also add, scary situations come up a lot that include heavy topics such as rape, abuse, addiction, law-breaking and so-forth. Definitely a mature teen-oriented show. Think about what you can "handle" watching. Do you usually watch shows with similar content? How is it different from what you normally watch? Violence: Violence ranges from cartoonish to gruesome. Don't watch if violence is not your thing. Sex: Many of the lead characters have sex, at different times among the span of the show. There have been several heavy sex scenes, although some on the more mild side. Still, as the characters mature, the sex scenes become more frequent. Both male and female characters think a lot about sex, although this is something that is typical for their ages, and so doesn't seem to be too much of an issue. Some young women dress in very skimpy clothing, although they are often portrayed as moral characters. Language: Appropriate for a teen audience. Consumerism: Not a frequent problem. Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters drink. I can only remember one account where two of the characters under the influence are in high school. While characters are shown drinking every once in a while, it is very often shown in a negative light, most notably the episode "Beer Bad". Also, some smoking, and a magic addiction is treated in the way a drug addiction would.

Superlatively fun to watch, OK for kids 10+ except for some episodes on later seasons which would be more along the lines of 12+ Still, the violence is never too graphic, the sex scenes more infrequent than you would think and very mild with one or 2 exceptions in season 6. Positive role models (Buffy herslf above all) abound, as do realistic (funny term to use with a series with this name but true) portraits of challenges teenagers face, struggle to overcome and usually succeed in doing so. Wit and humor better appreciated by older kids as are some episodes dealing in more detail with grief, transition to young adulthood, and what can really be decribed as PTSD. The vampires and other monsters are only too fallibly human. They and the highschool (later college, workplace) settings combine to make metaphors about growing up and rites of passage. Great fun, perfectly possible to watch as a family but my kids would probably disagree on that one.

Great show, but lots of product placement. The innuendo will go over kids' innocent heads.

I sat down today and watched about sixteen episodes in a row. I fell in love with it. It's my new favorite show! It has kissing over and over and people cheat on each other, it had some language, it's got violence (heck yes, it's awesome violence), but also a great main character and friends that stick with her. (My faves are Buffy, Oz, & Angel!) Kids will be fine watching it. I recommend it, all the way!

I'm guess this site only saw the first few seasons. Keep in mind that Buffy is growing from a teenager to a woman through out the series and thus there are more sex senses and parts of season 6 Buffy slept with someone who was a villain. HOWEVER This show changed my life. It made me realize I can do anything I want. While Buffy is a role model her "normal" friends make the viewers know that just because they don't have powers doesn't mean they can't change the world. Buffy is an amazing show and if you daughter or son wants to watch it let them. It made me a better person.

For years I avoided this as I figured it was trash TV. I was wrong, its entertaining, brilliantly scripted, surprisingly funny and moving. If there is an issue for young Teens it is that of sex - although a few episodes are hot and heavy, its generally takes sex as a serious issue with consequences. Nevertheless you need to be aware of this before watching.