by First Mate Keira
The diplomatic response to this question is yes and no. I have no way of knowing what fandom your child is reading in or what stories they’re finding. And the scary thing might be that neither do you. The question then is what to do and to examine how you feel about the situation as a parent. Here are some basics about fanfiction to help you decide:
What is Fanfiction?
Fanfiction is a story based on the characters and world that belong to someone else.
Fanfiction is usually shortened to fanfic and can be based on movies, books, television shows, games, etc. The most popular book fandoms are easily Harry Potter and Twilight as there are thousands of fanfics based on them.
As fanfiction is generated by fans, there’s literally no telling what the writer will do when it comes to language (is there cursing?), adult situations (sex, drugs, etc.), and violence (how graphic is it?).
Most every fanfiction website has a format for rating the stories. These ratings are applied by the story’s writer and could be misleading. Generally however I have found writers to be fairly good at rating their stories for the appropriate audience.
Another concern is grammar and spelling. Most writers will have somebody else read their story first to help them get rid of any errors, but these things will slip through and sometimes writers could hardly care less about the quality of fanfic they’re delivering. Fanfic is not as polished as a published novel and that is something you should be aware of if you let your child read fanfic.
Does Your Child Read Outside of Fanfics?
Another important question to consider is how much time your child devotes to reading outside of fanfiction. Obviously, they’ve very into something and want more of it and are reading fanfic to get it.
If the fandom they’re reading is based on a book or book series, chances are your child is doing plenty of reading on and off the computer.
However, if your child is not an active reader and is very reluctant about starting new books and series, perhaps letting them read fanfiction is the best thing you can do for them because they are reading.
In-Progress fanfics could really boost your child’s reading pleasure, because they’re not facing a whole book, but one new chapter whenever the writer updates. Smaller chunks of writing might be easier to digest.
In the End I Suggest You Talk with Your Child
If you decide reading fanfiction is okay, the next step is to talk with your child to find out what fandoms they like and what type of stories they’re reading. Explain to them your concerns and talk to them about what ratings your okay with them reading. Set up ground rules and pay attention to what they read. You can do this by checking web browser history, looking at their fanfiction site profile and discovering what stories they like, and by asking directly. Perhaps you can even read the same fanfics together as something to do.
If you decide that you want to keep your child away from fanfiction you will have to have a talk as well. This time you will be explaining why you’ve come to the decision you have and be prepared to back it up (like citing a story you caught them reading and don’t approve of). Also be prepared to have your kid continue behind your back as it’s very easy to hide what they’re doing on the internet by clearing web browser history, deleting and creating a new profile, and using private browsing.
Your Turn: Where do you stand on fanfics and why?
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