History Main / ThinkOfTheChildren

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* This was one of the main justifications for the adoption of UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode by the American motion picture industry in 1930. Will Hays, the primary enforcer of the Code, explained in a public statement that the censorship board's goal was to protect the [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocence]] of "the mind of a child"... as if children, or families with children, were the only sort of people who ever went to the movies.
* This was followed in ca. 1945-1955 by an anti-comic book crusade in several Western countries which led to the passing of child-protection laws e. g. in Britain, France and West Germany, and to the setting up of a self-censorship body, [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode the Comics Code Authority]], in the United States. Here too the protection of children was invoked, as embodied e. g. by the scaremongering title of Fredric Wertham's (in)famous book ''Seduction of the Innocent'', although the anti-comic-book forces - which ranged across the socio-political spectrum of the countries concerned - were far from unanimous as to what children had to be protected from. Some focused on depictions of violence, others on sexual or homosexual content, others on the dangers to children's literacy.

--> "Yeah, I told her to get a map and check out [[CanadaEh which country]] she's in! This was her argument: 'A child could get hurt!' ''Which'' kid?! The only kid getting hurt is the one who can't work this maneuver: 'CAR!'"

* The infamous Website/{{Livejournal}} purge known as "Strikethrough '07." In the mid 2000's, LJ went from being an independent blog site to being sold to an up-and-coming software company known as Six Apart. Six Apart was approached by a group of (largely Christian) MoralGuardians and {{Media Watchdog}}s calling itself "Warriors for Innocence." Warriors for Innocence used this kind of plea to persuade Six Apart to start policing the content of journals and communities, and to remove objectionable content.[[note]]They specifically mentioned [[PaedoHunt child pornography]], though whether or not that was ''really'' their target remains controversial.[[/note]] Six Apart bowed to pressure from them, and began using algorithms to look for [[ScunthorpeProblem certain buzzwords]] and began [[ThePurge purging accounts]] with no warning. Not only did this affect things that were ''actually'' HarmfulToMinors, but other types of content, too. Including, but not limited to, fan communities with a focus on SlashFic and {{Yaoi}} fanworks (even perfectly G-rated ones), ''at least'' one online support group for ''survivors'' of childhood sexual abuse, an online support group for nursing mothers, blogs containing information about sexual health and birth control, cosplay and fashion blogs, and many more. And although many of those accounts removed in error were eventually restored, this wasn't an isolated incident, and many users lost faith in the website and left for greener pastures.

** Helen Lovejoy is a parody of this kind of character. When something stirs public outcry in Springfield (which is often), she plaintively screams, "Won't somebody ''please'' think of the children?!" Ironically, her own child is [[PreachersKid a kleptomaniac hellion who gets sent to boarding school]] -- but of course, MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal. Helen ended up stopping the RunningGag, mostly because her voice actress left the show and she had to be reduced to a background character. But she still gets the occasional reference to her former {{catchphrase}}, most notably when [[BorrowedCatchPhrase Moe says the line]] while Helen is in the frame.

* This was the public reason why Creator/{{Socrates}} was executed: his teachings had "corrupted the youth." In actuality, it was more likely because he was on the bad side of a lot of people because he'd called them on their various shortcomings. A couple of his students had been members of the Thirty Tyrants, a dictatorship the Spartans installed in Athens after beating then in war. They conducted a bloody purge of Athenians who defied them before being overthrown, with Socrates it seems being a scapegoat as they blamed him for supposedly inspiring his students' acts. Socrates had asserted (without refutation) that he refused to cooperated with the purge at all (recounted in the ''[[Literature/ApologyOfSocrates Apology]]''), so historians generally see this as guild by association (possibly inspired by people who found him dangerous as a result of his questioning the authorities).

* In the book ''Literature/HeirApparent'' by Vivian Vande Velde, the plot is put into motion by a group called Citizens to Protect Our Children. According to the protagonist, they "strongly believe that only G-rated movies should be made and libraries should only stock nice, friendly, uplifting books, which means nothing supernatural or scary. Which just about kills my entire reading list". They go after the gaming company that she's going to spend a gift certificate, under the excuse that violence and magic are inappropriate for their children. They later subvert their intended mission, because while the main character is in the game they break into the center and smash up the equipment, causing it to be susceptible to overheating which, unless the game is completed in time, will fry the girl's brain. She lives, though, and in the end, the head of the company (a boy about a year older than she is) says that "they're going to get their asses fried for endangering a minor". It's a take on how hypocritical censorship groups are, going after the companies when it's their ''kids'' that are going to the places in the first place!

* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'' the toady of the Master, grabs a child to try to invoke this, after the town is destroyed by Smaug. Instead, the crowd wants to lynch him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Gaston gets together an AngryMob by saying that the Beast [[EatsBabies would eat the town's children]].

* ''Film/TheCondemned''

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Gaston gets together an AngryMob by saying that the Beast [[EatsBabies would eat the town's children]].

* Parodied with a [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall fourth wall lean]] in ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' when Daffy realizes that he's gonna die in the middle of a desert and never find the [[{{MacGuffin}} Blue Monkey Diamond.]]
-->'''Daffy:''' I can't die now. Think of the millions of children who want me to have the diamond! ''(sobs)'' Those poor children!

* ''Film/DirtyRottenScoundrels'': One of the characters is a con artist pretending to be a prince in exile from a war-torn country. At the start of the film, a wealthy woman offers him her pearls to help pay for his independence campaign. He refuses at first, claiming the people of his country are too proud to accept charity, then "caves" when she tells him to consider the children.
* ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'' the toady of the Master, grabs a child to try to invoke this, after the town is destroyed by Smaug. Instead, the crowd wants to lynch him.
* A mild example in the original ''Film/MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet''; when Doris Walker fires the Macy's Parade Santa Claus for being drunk on the job, she asks Kris Kringle if he can fill in. Initially, he refuses but after a few seconds thought decides to accept the job, saying, "The children mustn't be disappointed."
* ''Film/TheTimesOfHarveyMilk'': This documentary recounts among other things the fight against the Briggs Initiative, a 1978 effort in California to ban homosexuals from jobs as public schoolteachers. As one of Harvey's friends points out in an interview, it was cleverly designed to play on nebulous fears of child molesters attacking schoolchildren, in order to deprive gays of their civil rights.
* ''Film/{{No}}'': A pro-[[UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet Pinochet]] "Yes" commercial says that "in the country of the No" there's no respect for possessions; this is demonstrated by a steamroller crushing things like TV sets and electric lamps. The voiceover says "Think about what you value most. Think of your loved ones," as the steamroller bears down on a little girl holding a teddy bear.

* ''Film/StarshipTroopers2HeroOfTheFederation'': Mocked by the cynical, disgraced Captain Dax when one of his superiors berates him for having refused to follow illegal orders. According to Dax, cowards hide behind one of two things: [[JustFollowingOrders orders]] and children.

* A common refrain of reviewer Angie, when faced by appalling behavior exhibited by local dogs in web serial ''Literature/{{Barkwire}}''.

* ''Literature/GuardianCatsAndTheLostBooksOfAlexandria'': Over sixteen centuries ago, mass {{book burning}}s spread through Alexandria. One of the most common pieces of propaganda was that books were harmful to children. They brainwash kids and make them think they're smarter than their parents.

%% * Several episodes of ''[[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit Law & Order: SVU]]''. Both for and against, intermittently.

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7gP1xgRDJ4 this]] ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' sketch, [[Creator/HughLaurie Laurie's]] character complains about a "disgusting" program, wondering "what if my children had been watching ?" (It turns out her children haven't watched it, but only because by the "purest good fortune [...] they don't happen to have been born yet.")
* Used depressingly straight in ''Series/QueerAsFolk'', where the parents of Nathan and [[spoiler: Stuart]] attempted to silence their coming out through this:

* ''Series/ICarly'':
** The girls ask the webshow audience for their coconut cream pie recipes, ending it with this line.
** Carly and Sam's beauty pageant Q&A strategy is "ending world hunger... for the children!"
* In-universe example in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. Dr. Cox said this word-for-word to Turk in the episode "My Student" when he drops his pants.
-->'''Dr. Cox''': No. No. No. You put that away. Oh! Think of the children!

* During a mid 90's storyline on ''Series/AllMyChildren'' about a high school teacher revealing that he was gay, numerous parents were up in arms and wanting to withdraw their students from his class.
* This excuse occasionally appears in the court show ''Series/CasoCerrado''. For example, one case involves a guy taking a woman to court because she's raising her child with [[{{Polyamory}} a husband and a girlfriend]]. His excuse for wanting to kick the family out of the apartment complex is that they're confusing others' children and traumatizing their son.

* ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'' has a whole song ("Ya Got Trouble") creating a moral panic by playing on fears of the pool hall and what it'll do to their children. Billiards is okay by Harold Hill, but pool is trouble.

%% * In ''Videogame/DragonsLair 2: Time Warp'', the opening movie tells you to "do it for the children".

%% * {{Parodied|Trope}} twice during the announcer banter in ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked''.

* Played for laughs in ''Videogame/EscapeFromMonkeyIsland'', where Guybrush tries to use the "What about the children?" to Ozzie Mandrill and his plan to make the Tri-Island County a tourist attraction, Ozzie simply responds "What about them?", to which Guybrush admits that he hasn't thought that far.
* In ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'', the [[PlayerCharacter Courier]] can say this (and fail) in an attempt to convince [[TheStoner Jack]] to start making "helpful [[FantasticDrug chems]]" such as Stimpaks.
* In ''VideoGame/PokerNight2'', Max uses this line when Sam goes all in. Sam asks, "What children?" which Max can't come up with an answer to.

%% * Spoofed in [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/1660/ this]] ''Webcomic/CyanideAndHappiness'' comic.

%% ** Also seen in [[http://notalwaysright.com/from-the-odd-couple-to-the-applauded-couple/22409 this]] one.
%% This also violates Administrivia/ExampleIndentation.
* The ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'' spoof of the teaser for ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' has Film/IronMan exclaim this, while begging Ultron to stop quoting such Disney songs as "[[WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}} I've Got No Strings]]" in his creepy MachineMonotone voice. Instead of stopping, Ultron quotes the then-newest Disney animated musical, ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}''.

* The argument is briefly brought up by ''WebVideo/{{Contrapoints}}'' in the episode Pronouns. When Ben Shapiro gives a "how can I explain trans people to my child?" argument, [[DeadBabyComedy Natalie goes for broke]].
-->'''Natalie:''' Oh yes. The classic argument: "How do I explain to my child". [[ChewingTheScenery KILL your shitty child for all I care! That is simply NOT my problem!]]

* ''Film/StarshipTroopers2HeroOfTheFederation'': Mocked by the cynical, disgraced Captain Dax when one of his superiors berates him for having refused to follow illegal orders. According to him, cowards hide behind one of two things: [[JustFollowingOrders orders]] and children.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', "The Scare Your Pants Off Club!", has an organization called PAWS (Parents Against Weird Stories) ban Scare Your Pants Off books from the local library. Muffy's parents founded it because Muffy had a nightmare after reading the books and they hope banning the books will save other kids. When Arthur and his friends start petitioning, Mr. Crossfire refuses to listen, saying that he's doing it for the kids' own good. It turns out at the end that the books didn't give Muffy nightmares, but [[AcidRefluxNightmare eating ice cream did]]. In an added bonus, it's also revealed that the Scare Your Pants Off Author, E.A. Depoe was really [[spoiler:Mr. Crosswire's old English teacher, Ms. Mcword]]! This ultimately causes Mr. Crosswire to end his pursuit with PAWS.

** Most notably the first time (in which they abandoned their children to go protest a cartoon show in another state) and the most extreme (after first building a wall around the town to protect their children, when they find out that most children are abducted by their parents, they send their own kids away to keep them from being abducted.) Kyle's mother is by far the worst of them, starting WorldWarIII to protect her kids from movie profanity in TheMovie.

MoralGuardians (or a more loony FriendToAllChildren) using an argument to create a [[MediaScaremongering moral panic]] — doing something will somehow, indirectly, hurt children. Somehow. You don't have to make a rational argument as long as you can appeal to {{Mama Bear}}s, {{Papa Wol|f}}ves, [[MyBelovedSmother Beloved Smothers]], {{Overprotective Dad}}s, and {{Knight Templar Parent}}s emotionally. This is a great way to rouse up an AngryMob, and the best/worst part is you don't even need any proof of your target's guilt or innocence; just use LogicalFallacies to make your target out to be a monster, then use "''the children''" as a ChewbaccaDefense (or would that be [[AbominationAccusationAttack Chewbacca Prosecution]]?). In comedies, this type of character usually actually doesn't even care about the children at all, and in the worst-case scenario, [[StrawHypocrite is actually the one who's actively harming children]] [[BlameGame while deflecting blame off onto others as a scapegoat]].

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Briefly touched on in ''Fanfic/IzukusProHeroHaremLife'', where early on Izuku worries about the public fallout of the inevitable revelation of his SecretRelationship with an ever-growing number of women, wondering if the public's faith in him as a pillar of decency (being the highest ranked superhero in Japan) will be compromised. [[PornWithPlot Not that this concern impedes him or the fic whatsoever]].
[[/folder]]

* Utterly and shamelessly mocked (like everything else) in ''[[ComicBook/RatMan1989 Rat-Man]]'':

[[folder: Fan Works]]

* Used depressingly straight in Series/QueerAsFolk, where the parents of Nathan and [[spoiler: Stuart]] attempted to silence their coming out through this:
-->"He's eight years old. Ben is ''eight years old''!"

[[folder:Web Comic]]

--> '''Cinzia:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "Hi there,]] '''''[[DeliberatelyMissingThePoint kids!]]''''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint I'm Cinzia, and I'm a transsexual!"]]

-->--'''Mrs. Banks''', ''Film/MaryPoppins''

* Part of Canadian comedian Tim Nutt's act is a story about him telling off a woman seeking to ban street hockey in the neighbourhood.

Man: “I wish to lodge a complaint against this woman. She’s been following me around and trying to get a look at…well…” *gestures at his kilt*\\
Me: “Ma’am, is this true?”\\

Customer: “Well, I…but…what about the children?!” *storms off*

** And because of Australia's rather harsh policies of censorship of video games, it will affect their Kiwi neighbours. However, Video Game publishers failed to recognise NZ's Rating System because they felt that New Zealand uses the same rating system as Australia but it is not. NZ uses a traffic system for ratings (Green is for General, Yellow is for Parental Guidance or Suggested for Mature Audiences 16 and over and Red is for age-restricted. It starts from R13, then R15, R16 and finally R18).

* The Australian Labor Party proposed a (now unlikely to see the light of day) web filter which many have criticised for reasons ranging from denial of freedom of speech (justified by the leaked blacklist) to the practical, such as it slowing it down to dial-up speeds. Everyone from Telstra to Google, to UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton and the US ambassador speaking out against it, which have been completely ignored. The supposed aim of the filter was to protect the children from accessing pornography and stifling child porn online. However, the Coalition has followed the Greens in agreeing to not to vote in favor of the Internet Censorship bill when it appears in parliament, thus denying the Bill the majority it needs to pass through government. It is now virtually impossible for the filter to be implemented.

* The "bathroom bills" that several US states have been enacting, that would require people to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their birth sex, are ostensibly done in the name of protecting women and children from sexual predators claiming to be transgender. This despite the fact that trans people have been using the bathrooms that match their gender presentations since there have been sex-segregated restrooms and there has never been a case of someone claiming to be trans in order to enter an opposite-sex restroom for the purpose of assaulting someone. It has since been extended into the "reasoning" behind various bills proposed or passed against gender-affirming medical care for trans children, sometimes banning it on pain of ''prison'' for doctors who perform it. Tons of misinformation is included of course, such as claims that trans children would get gender-affirming surgery before age 18 (false) etc. It has also seen many trans children barred from sports teams which match their gender, sometimes to be enforced with genital exams or even chromosome testing. Very clearly only some children matter in this case, since that's clearly a traumatic thing to subject them with.

* ''Theatre/TheChildrensHour'' is built around this. Mary's grandmother takes her out of her boarding school due to [[MaliciousSlander accusations]] that the [[TwoTeacherSchool two female teachers]] are having [[MistakenForGay an affair]]. Due to her influential nature in the community, within weeks ''all'' of the other students' parents remove them from their school too. One of the {{Signature Scene}}s of the play and its second adaptation has Martha getting into an argument with Mrs. Tilford, who uses this excuse.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'', the kangaroo rallies all the other animals in the jungle against Horton with this cry.

* The "bathroom bills" that several [[DeepSouth southern US states]] have been enacting, that would require people to use restrooms and locker rooms that match their birth sex, are ostensibly done in the name of protecting women and children from sexual predators claiming to be transgender. This despite the fact that trans people have been using the bathrooms that match their gender presentations since there have been sex-segregated restrooms and there has never been a case of someone claiming to be trans in order to enter an opposite-sex restroom for the purpose of assaulting someone. It has since been extended into the "reasoning" behind various bills proposed or passed against gender-affirming medical care for trans children, sometimes banning it on pain of ''prison'' for doctors who perform it. Tons of misinformation is included of course, such as claims that trans children would get gender-affirming surgery before age 18 (false) etc. It has also seen many trans children barred from sports teams which match their gender, sometimes to be enforced with genital exams or even chromosome testing. Very clearly only some children matter in this case, since that's clearly a traumatic thing to subject them with.

MoralGuardians (or a more loony FriendToAllChildren) using an argument to create a [[YouCanPanicNow moral panic]] — doing something will somehow, indirectly, hurt children. Somehow. You don't have to make a rational argument as long as you can appeal to {{Mama Bear}}s, {{Papa Wol|f}}ves, [[MyBelovedSmother Beloved Smothers]], {{Overprotective Dad}}s, and {{Knight Templar Parent}}s emotionally. This is a great way to rouse up an AngryMob, and the best/worst part is you don't even need any proof of your target's guilt or innocence; just use LogicalFallacies to make your target out to be a monster, then use "''the children''" as a ChewbaccaDefense (or would that be [[AbominationAccusationAttack Chewbacca Prosecution]]?). In comedies, this type of character usually actually doesn't even care about the children at all, and in the worst-case scenario, [[StrawHypocrite is actually the one who's actively harming children]] [[BlameGame while deflecting blame off onto others as a scapegoat]].

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', "The Scare Your Pants Off Club!", has an organization called PAWS (Parents Against Weird Stories) ban Scare Your Pants Off books from the local library. Muffy's parents founded it because Muffy had a nightmare after reading the books and they hope banning the books will save other kids. When Arthur and his friends start petitioning, Mr. Crossfire refuses to listen, saying that he's doing it for the kids' own good. It turns out at the end that the books didn't give Muffy nightmares, but [[AcidRefluxNightmare eating ice cream did]]. In an added bonus, it's also revealed that the Scare Your Pants Off Author, E.A.DePoe was really [spoiler:Mr. Crosswire's old English teacher, Ms. McWord]! This ultimately causes Mr. Crosswire to end his pursuit with PAWS.