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* ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' is about two young siblings trying to survive in war-torn Japan during the final days of World War II. The beginning scene makes it clear the protagonists [[ForegoneConclusion are doomed]] and while the violence isn't hugely graphic, the movie doesn't shy away from depicting the terrible effects of war on civilians and especially children. It's got a reputation as one of the saddest movies ever made for a good reason.
* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'': The titular Kino is a VagueAge, but still clearly young compared to the adult characters who appear in the series. In the course of her travels, she encounters a group of slave traders who, when snowed in, ate their [[ImAHumanitarian "goods"]], a country where a brutal form of democracy saw the losing end of a vote subjected to the death penalty, a nation where travelers were forced to compete in gladiatorial games to the death, and a land where warfare between two nations had been turned into a competition to see who could slaughter the most members of a nearby native tribe.
* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'': The titular Kino is a VagueAge, but still clearly young compared to the adult characters who appear in the series. In the course of her travels, she encounters a group of slave traders who, when snowed in, ate their [[ImAHumanitarian "goods"]], a country where a brutal form of democracy saw the losing end of a vote subjected to the death penalty, a nation where travelers were forced to compete in gladiatorial games to the death, and a land where warfare between two nations had been turned into a competition to see who could slaughter the most members of a nearby native tribe.
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* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'': The titular Kino is a VagueAge, but still clearly young compared to the adult characters who appear in the series. In the course of her travels, she encounters a group of slave traders who, when snowed in, ate their [[ImAHumanitarian "goods"]], a country where a brutal form of democracy saw the losing end of a vote subjected to the death penalty, a nation where travelers were forced to compete in gladiatorial games to the death, and a land where warfare between two nations had been turned into a competition to see who could slaughter the most members of a nearby native tribe.
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* ''Film/ComeAndSee'' revolves around a boy of about fourteen who joins a group of partisans opposing the Nazis. It's widely considered one of the disturbing and unflinching portrayals of war and its negative effects ever put to film.
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* ''Film/ComeAndSee'' revolves around a boy of about fourteen who joins a group of partisans opposing the Nazis. It's widely considered one of the most disturbing and unflinching portrayals of war and its negative effects ever put to film.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'' has an 11-year old girl as a protagonists, and the plot deals wirh the real-life poverty, repression, abuse and misogyny of Taliban Afghanistan regime.
* A French animated film, named ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'', features the story of a kid sent to an orphanage after the AccidentalMurder of her abusive mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuicideShop'', a BlackComedy French animated movie, has a CheerfulChild as a protagonists.
* A French animated film, named ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'', features the story of a kid sent to an orphanage after the AccidentalMurder of her abusive mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuicideShop'', a BlackComedy French animated movie, has a CheerfulChild as a protagonists.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuicideShop'', a BlackComedy French animated movie, has a CheerfulChild as a protagonists.
* Another French animated film, named ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'', features the story of a kid sent to an orphanage after the AccidentalMurder of her abusive mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'' has an 11-year old girl as a protagonists, and the plot deals wirh the real-life poverty, repression, abuse and misogyny of Taliban Afghanistan regime.
* Another French animated film, named ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'', features the story of a kid sent to an orphanage after the AccidentalMurder of her abusive mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'' has an 11-year old girl as a protagonists, and the plot deals wirh the real-life poverty, repression, abuse and misogyny of Taliban Afghanistan regime.
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* ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' is about a Muslim girl who joins the titular dance group who specializes in suggestive dancing including twerking.
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* ''Film/ComeAndSee'' revolves around a boy of about fourteen who joins a group of partisans opposing the Nazis. It's widely considered one of the disturbing and unflinching portrayals of war and its negative effects ever put to film.
* ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' is about a Muslim girl who joins the titular dance group who specializes in suggestive dancing including twerking. It deals with and intend to criticize the hypersexualization of young girls, and in addition the sexualized dancing and skimpy clothes, the girls are depicted doing other age-inappropriate things such as flirting with grown men and posting pictures of their genitals (which is intended to be alarming and repulsive to adult audience). The film's subject matter is considered both inappropriate for kids and would probably go over their heads.
* ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' is about a Muslim girl who joins the titular dance group who specializes in suggestive dancing including twerking. It deals with and intend to criticize the hypersexualization of young girls, and in addition the sexualized dancing and skimpy clothes, the girls are depicted doing other age-inappropriate things such as flirting with grown men and posting pictures of their genitals (which is intended to be alarming and repulsive to adult audience). The film's subject matter is considered both inappropriate for kids and would probably go over their heads.
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* The protagonists of ''[[Film/It2017 IT]]'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.
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* The protagonists of ''[[Film/It2017 IT]]'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.flick, fully earning its R-rating (and this is even after much of its content was toned down compared to the novel).
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* ''VideoGame/AmongTheSleep'': The player character is a toddler trying to find their missing mother while avoiding monsters. In addition to being too scary for young children and capitalizing on an adult's fears for a nigh-helpless child being placed in such a situation, the revelation that the monsters are metaphors for [[spoiler:the child's troubled mother abusing them]] would probably not be well understood by a small child.
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* The main protagonist of the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series is Ayla, who is five years old at the beginning of the series and is in her teens for most of the books. The books are firmly aimed at an adult audience, featuring an unflinching portrayal of life in Ice Age Europe and all its difficulties. The first book in particular has young Ayla facing a lot of dangerous and distressing situations, and features a plotline where she is repeatedly raped from the age of ten and gives birth when she’s only eleven. From the second book onwards there are also many explicit sex scenes that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Mills and Boon'' novel, although by this point Ayla is in her late teens and sex is consensual.
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* The main protagonist of the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series is Ayla, who is five years old at the beginning of the series and is in her teens for most of the books. The books are firmly aimed at an adult audience, featuring an unflinching portrayal of life in Ice Age Europe and all its difficulties. The first book in particular has young Ayla facing a lot of dangerous and distressing situations, and features a plotline where she is repeatedly raped from the age of ten and gives birth when she’s only eleven. From the second book onwards there are also many explicit sex scenes that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Mills and Boon'' novel, although [[DownplayedTrope although]] by this point Ayla is in her late teens and the sex is consensual.
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* The main protagonist of the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' series is Ayla, who is five years old at the beginning of the series and is in her teens for most of the books. The books are firmly aimed at an adult audience, featuring an unflinching portrayal of life in Ice Age Europe and all its difficulties. The first book in particular has young Ayla facing a lot of dangerous and distressing situations, and features a plotline where she is repeatedly raped from the age of ten and gives birth when she’s only eleven. From the second book onwards there are also many explicit sex scenes that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Mills and Boon'' novel, although by this point Ayla is in her late teens and sex is consensual.
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** ''{{Literature/IT}}'': The first half follows the main characters at the age of twelve when they first battle the titular monster. The second half has them as adults returning to their hometown to do it all over again.
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** ''{{Literature/IT}}'': The first half follows the main characters at the age of twelve when they first battle the titular monster. The second half has them as adults returning to their hometown to do it all over again. As as graphic violence and other nightmarish situations involving the monster, some of the non-supernatural content is just as disturbing, such a sociopathic gang of bullies who torture other kids and animals (one of them smothered his baby brother) and young Beverly's father having an extremely creepy obsession with her.
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[[folder:Films-Animation]]
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* Another French animated film, named ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsAZucchini'', features the story of a kid sent to an orphanage after the AccidentalMurder of her abusive mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'' has an 11-year old girl as a protagonists, and the plot deals wirh the real-life poverty, repression, abuse and misogyny of Taliban Afghanistan regime.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBreadwinner'' has an 11-year old girl as a protagonists, and the plot deals wirh the real-life poverty, repression, abuse and misogyny of Taliban Afghanistan regime.
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[[folder:Films-Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TerkelInTrouble'': A CGI movie from Denmark featuring a sixth-grader as a protagonist, which has lot of swearing, BlackComedy and adult themes such as suicide.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuicideShop'', a BlackComedy French animated movie, has a CheerfulChild as a protagonists.
[[/folder]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TerkelInTrouble'': A CGI movie from Denmark featuring a sixth-grader as a protagonist, which has lot of swearing, BlackComedy and adult themes such as suicide.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuicideShop'', a BlackComedy French animated movie, has a CheerfulChild as a protagonists.
[[/folder]]
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->''"The image of an adult world through a child's eyes."''\\
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->''"The image of an adult world through a child's eyes."''\\"''
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-->''"The image of an adult world through a child's eyes."''\\
-- {{Tagline}} of ''Film/PrettyBaby''
-- {{Tagline}} of ''Film/PrettyBaby''
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** "Fireflies" centers around two eight-year-old girls in 1975 who are torn apart by racial discrimination.
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** "Fireflies" centers around two eight-year-old girls in 1975 who are torn apart by racial discrimination.discrimination, with one going missing. [[spoiler: She was accidentally kidnapped, shot in the head, and presumed dead, but in reality survived with amnesia.]]
** "One Small Step" centered around the 1969 murder of 12-year-old Danny Finch, with the flashbacks focused on him and his friends at the time.
** "The Sleepover" focused on the 1990 murder of 12-year-old Rita Baxter after a sleepover, with flashbacks focused on her and the middle school girls who bullied her and invited her to sleep over. The episode discusses child abuse and alcoholism.
** "One Small Step" centered around the 1969 murder of 12-year-old Danny Finch, with the flashbacks focused on him and his friends at the time.
** "The Sleepover" focused on the 1990 murder of 12-year-old Rita Baxter after a sleepover, with flashbacks focused on her and the middle school girls who bullied her and invited her to sleep over. The episode discusses child abuse and alcoholism.
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* ''Series/ColdCase'': Depending on the episode and how old a character was when the murder happened, huge chunks of the murder investigation flashbacks may be told from a child's perspective.
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* ''Series/ColdCase'': Depending on the episode and how old a character involved in the case was when the murder happened, huge chunks of the murder investigation flashbacks may be told from a child's perspective.perspective.
** "Fireflies" centers around two eight-year-old girls in 1975 who are torn apart by racial discrimination.
** "Fireflies" centers around two eight-year-old girls in 1975 who are torn apart by racial discrimination.
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* ''Series/ColdCase'': Depending on the episode and how old a character was when the murder happened, huge chunks of the murder investigation flashbacks may be told from a child's perspective.
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* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': The characters are meant to be 14- and 15-year-olds (though played by late-teens and 20-somethings), but deal with losing their virginity, teen pregnancy, and suicide, among other things.
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* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': The characters are just on the cusp of this, as they are meant to be 14- and 15-year-olds (though played by late-teens and 20-somethings), but deal with losing their virginity, [[spoiler: teen pregnancy, and suicide, suicide]], among other things.
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* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': The characters are meant to be 14- and 15-year-olds (though played by teens and 20-somethings), but deal with losing their virginity, teen pregnancy, and suicide, among other things.
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* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': The characters are meant to be 14- and 15-year-olds (though played by teens late-teens and 20-somethings), but deal with losing their virginity, teen pregnancy, and suicide, among other things.
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* ''Theatre/TheTwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be anywhere between 8-14 years old, but the show is written for general audiences, with the kids [[DawsonCasting generally played by teens or adults]]. As such, along with quite a bit of innuendo and GettingCrapPastTheRadar, one boy gets an erection mid-bee and laments it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
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* ''Theatre/TheTwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are [[DawsonCasting generally played by teens or adults]], with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
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* ''Theatre/TheTwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': Juliet Capulet is written to be only 14 years old (though is rarely cast as such, and in some productions is [[AgeLift age lifted]]), but gets married, loses her virginity, and dies by stabbing herself throughout the course of the play.
* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': Theprotagonists characters are meant to be elementary 14- and middle schoolers, but they are [[DawsonCasting generally 15-year-olds (though played by teens or adults]], and 20-somethings), but deal with one boy getting an erection mid-bee losing their virginity, teen pregnancy, and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.suicide, among other things.
* ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'': The
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-->''"The image of an adult world through a child's eyes."''\\
-- {{Tagline}} of ''Film/PrettyBaby''
-- {{Tagline}} of ''Film/PrettyBaby''
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* ''Film/PrettyBaby'' is about a 12-year-old girl living in a brothel during the early 20th century. Her virginity is auctioned off at one point.
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* Downplayed with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where 10-year-old Bart is one of the main characters and, in the show's really early days, ''the'' main character. Back then, the show wasn't afraid to show over-the-top violence like Homer strangling Bart, or have the characters say minor swear words like "hell", "damn", and "bitchin'", which was shocking for its time, but with the competition they have now, it's almost tame by comparison. Even when the show got more mature as time progressed, it's still not quite as mature as the likes of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' or ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.
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That's not the right way to do it.
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* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys (along with a couple of their older siblings, a parent, and the town sheriff) who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
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* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys (along with a couple of their older siblings, a parent, and the town sheriff) who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
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* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are [[DawsonCasting generally played by teens or adults]], with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
to:
* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': ''Theatre/TheTwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are [[DawsonCasting generally played by teens or adults]], with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
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* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
** Downplayed, since the show also features the perspectives of the teen and adult characters.
** Downplayed, since the show also features the perspectives of the teen and adult characters.
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* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys (along with a couple of their older siblings, a parent, and the town sheriff) who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
** Downplayed, since the show also features the perspectives of the teen and adult characters.BloodierAndGorier.
** Downplayed, since the show also features the perspectives of the teen and adult characters.
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* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are generally played by teens or adults, with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
to:
* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are [[DawsonCasting generally played by teens or adults, adults]], with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
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[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'': The first two entries in the series have the main characters as 11- and 12-year-olds, while often acting like high school students (complete with dick jokes and making out) and played by college students. This DawsonCasting is often lampshaded. Averted in the third entry, ''A Very Potter Senior Year'', in which the characters are 17 years olds.
* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are generally played by teens or adults, with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
[[/folder]]
* ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'': The first two entries in the series have the main characters as 11- and 12-year-olds, while often acting like high school students (complete with dick jokes and making out) and played by college students. This DawsonCasting is often lampshaded. Averted in the third entry, ''A Very Potter Senior Year'', in which the characters are 17 years olds.
* ''Theatre/TwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'': The protagonists are meant to be elementary and middle schoolers, but they are generally played by teens or adults, with one boy getting an erection mid-bee and lamenting it in song. Some performances are even billed as R-rated "Parent-Teacher Conferences", turning the mature elements up a notch.
[[/folder]]
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* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter. Though it is narrated by her adult self (framed as her telling the story of how [[spoiler: her brother broke his arm]], it doesn't go far beyond the child's perspective.
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* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter. Though it is narrated by her adult self (framed as her telling the story of how [[spoiler: her brother broke his arm]], arm]]), it doesn't go far beyond the child's perspective.
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Clarification - TKAM is narrated
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* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter and filtered through her viewpoint.
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* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter and filtered through daughter. Though it is narrated by her viewpoint.adult self (framed as her telling the story of how [[spoiler: her brother broke his arm]], it doesn't go far beyond the child's perspective.
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** Downplayed, since the show also features the perspectives of the teen and adult characters.
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So there's a new series out, starring a KidHero going on an adventure, and - [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids what do you mean, "it's rated M"?]]
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So there's a new series out, starring a KidHero going on an adventure, and - and-- [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids wait, what do you mean, "it's rated M"?]]
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So there's a new series out, starring a KidHero going on an adventure, and - [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids what do you mean, "it's rated M"?]]
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To count for this trope, the work must be aimed at adults or teenagers (likely containing content that's unsuitable for children, though this is not a requirement, as mentioned above); works that are supposed to be aimed at children but contain mature themes do not qualify.[[note]]The reason why UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia such as ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' are listed on this page because they weren't originally written for children in the first place, and are almost always assigned in high school rather than any younger grades due to the mature content they contain.[[/note]] Additionally, the main characters in the work must be notably younger than the intended demographic. For example, an R-rated movie that has a 14 year old as the protagonist, or a PG-13 movie that has a 6 year old as the protagonist. Generally, a work that prominently features characters who are older teenagers (ages 16+) cannot be an example of this trope, since teenagers of that age are usually considered old enough to be viewing most mature works.
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To count for this trope, the work must be aimed at adults or teenagers (likely containing content that's unsuitable for children, though this is not a requirement, as mentioned above); works that are supposed to be aimed at children but contain mature themes do not qualify.[[note]]The reason why UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia such as ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' are listed on this page because they weren't originally written for children in the first place, and are almost always assigned in high school rather than any younger grades due to the mature content they contain.[[/note]] Additionally, the main characters in the work must be notably younger than the intended demographic. For example, an R-rated movie that has a 14 year old 14-year-old as the protagonist, or a PG-13 movie that has a 6 year old 6-year-old as the protagonist. Generally, a work that prominently features characters who are older teenagers (ages 16+) cannot be an example of this trope, since teenagers of that age are usually considered old enough to be viewing most mature works.
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* ''Film/JojoRabbit'' is about a ten year old boy growing up in Nazi Germany- it is written from an adult perspective, and deliberately contrasts our protagonists innocent acceptance of his world and his child-like view of Hitler with the harsh reality.
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* ''Film/JojoRabbit'' is about a ten year old ten-year-old boy growing up in Nazi Germany- it is written from an adult perspective, and deliberately contrasts our protagonists innocent acceptance of his world and his child-like view of Hitler with the harsh reality.
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In process of crosswicking examples, currently finished the Anime and Manga section. Working in order of when they're listed.
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----
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[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
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[[folder:Anime
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* ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl'': The protagonist Lenore is an undead ten-year-old girl ([[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld technically over 100]]), with creepy childlike innocence towards blood, horror and death. It's a horror series with adult jokes about sex and a high level of violence, so not aimed at ten year olds.
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* ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl'': The protagonist Lenore is an undead ten-year-old girl ([[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld technically over 100]]), with creepy childlike innocence towards blood, horror and death. It's a horror series with adult jokes about sex and a high level of violence, so not aimed at ten year olds.ten-year-olds.
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[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
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* The protagonists of ''Film/It2017'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.
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* The protagonists of ''Film/It2017'' ''[[Film/It2017 IT]]'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.
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Indexes: {{Youngsters}}, RatedIForIndex, SubvertedInnocence, JuxtapositionTropes, PrecociousnessTropes, AgeDissonantIndex
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Created from YKTTW
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Works with children as protagonists are usually targeted toward an audience of around the same age as them. However, there are some cases where child protagonists are found in a work for mature audiences. The kid characters may engage in TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior or be {{Creepy Child}}ren. This trope could be used for horror or shock value as seeing children harmed or put through other intense situations can elicit fear from the audience, especially if the children themselves are perpetrating such behaviors. However, if it's PlayedForLaughs, it might just be funny to watch [[FromTheMouthsOfBabes kids saying swear words and other things they shouldn't know about]].
In more {{downplayed}} cases, adult-oriented works with children as the protagonists may not necessarily contain content that's outright ''inappropriate'' for kids, but children still aren't the intended audience. This is usually because the work contains some thematic elements that would most likely go over children's heads, or other complicated subject matter that children would likely not understand or be interested in.
To count for this trope, the work must be aimed at adults or teenagers (likely containing content that's unsuitable for children, though this is not a requirement, as mentioned above); works that are supposed to be aimed at children but contain mature themes do not qualify.[[note]]The reason why UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia such as ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' are listed on this page because they weren't originally written for children in the first place, and are almost always assigned in high school rather than any younger grades due to the mature content they contain.[[/note]] Additionally, the main characters in the work must be notably younger than the intended demographic. For example, an R-rated movie that has a 14 year old as the protagonist, or a PG-13 movie that has a 6 year old as the protagonist. Generally, a work that prominently features characters who are older teenagers (ages 16+) cannot be an example of this trope, since teenagers of that age are usually considered old enough to be viewing most mature works.
This trope is sometimes seen in a DarkFic of what was originally a kids' show, or a DarkParody of children's shows.
An inversion of OlderThanTheDemographic, for works that are meant for children but have adults or teenagers as the protagonists. Also contrast WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids, when the work ''is'' for children, but audience members find the content matter to be child-unfriendly. Can overlap with SubvertedKidsShow. Often results in WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids. Compare MatureAnimalStory for another trope about mature works featuring characters generally considered to be limited to children's fiction.
Indexes: {{Youngsters}}, RatedIForIndex, SubvertedInnocence, JuxtapositionTropes, PrecociousnessTropes, AgeDissonantIndex
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{ERASED}}'' is a {{seinen}} psychological crime thriller in which the adult protagonist gets sent back in time to live as his child self again. As such, much of the story focuses on the elementary-school aged protagonist reliving a crucial part of his childhood trying to protect his classmates and hunt down a murderer.
* The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise (apart from the [[MultipleDemographicAppeal meandering]] [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha first season]]) is strongly targeted towards the [[{{Seinen}} 20+ male demographic]], despite the protagonists of most of its installments being 10 to 14 years young.
* ''Manga/MadeInAbyss'' features a very cute PuniPlush art style and initially presents itself as a light-hearted adventure story about a young girl named Riko and a robot boy named Reg exploring into the unknown titular abyss. It doesn't take very long before the series stops pulling its punches by having the main characters thrown into literal life-or-death situations; trying to survive against barely-known creatures who are absolutely ruthless in their own existence; having to deal with all manner of sickness, vomiting, nausea, [[PottyFailure involuntary loss of bladder control]]; BodyHorror caused by a literal curse created by the depths of the abyss; a completely deranged MadScientist who performs all manner or horrific experiments ForScience, and many more mysteries and horrors all PlayedForDrama the deeper they go down.
* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'': The titular Kino is a VagueAge, but still clearly young compared to the adult characters who appear in the series. In the course of her travels, she encounters a group of slave traders who, when snowed in, ate their [[ImAHumanitarian "goods"]], a country where a brutal form of democracy saw the losing end of a vote subjected to the death penalty, a nation where travelers were forced to compete in gladiatorial games to the death, and a land where warfare between two nations had been turned into a competition to see who could slaughter the most members of a nearby native tribe.
* ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain''. Lain Iwakura is a girl in middle school who still wears teddy bear pajamas. During the course of the series, she visits a night club where a man on a mind accelerating cyber drug shoots someone else and then himself, inadvertently causes her older sister to suffer a brutal MindRape that leaves her a blank slate, sees a young man playing a VR game mistake a young girl for a monster in his game and shoot her, and has her become involved with a couple of MenInBlack who murder all the members of a rival faction. She catches a friend of hers engaging in ADateWithRosiePalms while fantasizing about a teacher, and then witnesses the same friend have a complete breakdown when they're confronted with a self-styled "God of the Wired".
* ''Manga/ShadowStar'' has a 12-year-old protagonist, but it's clearly aimed towards adults, and has disturbing violence and sexuality to show for it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl'': The protagonist Lenore is an undead ten-year-old girl ([[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld technically over 100]]), with creepy childlike innocence towards blood, horror and death. It's a horror series with adult jokes about sex and a high level of violence, so not aimed at ten year olds.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheRugratsTheory'' is a DarkFic based on ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' focusing on three-year-old Angelica. It has themes such as mental illness, drugs, and a case of ChildhoodBrainDamage that's PlayedForDrama.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Butterfly'' is a coming-of-age story about a young boy learning about love and other matters during the waning days of Spain's Second Republic, with an ending that is not terribly kid-friendly at all.
* ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' is about a Muslim girl who joins the titular dance group who specializes in suggestive dancing including twerking.
* ''Film/FannyAndAlexander'': The protagonists are the titular children (Alexander more so). They largely serve an observational role as the story deals with their family's dramas, ranging from infidelity to dealing with a truly WickedStepfather who may or may not have killed his previous wife and daughters. The film is pretty frank with its sexual content and violence and there are many discussions on weighty topics that would fly over the heads of most younger audiences.
* The R-rated film ''Film/GoodBoys'' is about three preteen boys attempting to get invited to a [[WildTeenParty kissing party]] held by a popular student in middle school.
* The protagonists of ''Film/It2017'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.
* ''Film/JojoRabbit'' is about a ten year old boy growing up in Nazi Germany- it is written from an adult perspective, and deliberately contrasts our protagonists innocent acceptance of his world and his child-like view of Hitler with the harsh reality.
* The 1995 film ''Film/{{Kids}}'' is the fundamental example of this trope in film. Despite having teenage protagonists, the movie deals with the characters smoking drugs, performing juvenile delinquency, and even trying out sex for the first time. Ironically, the movie ''was'' intended to be viewed by preteens, but its mature content was serious enough to earn it a rating of NC-17.
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' is a dark fantasy about a little Spanish girl searching for magical medicines for her ailing, pregnant mother in the brutal years of Franco's regime, where the Falangists were still hunting down the Spanish Maquis.
* ''Film/TheProfessional'': One of the main leads is a 12-year-old girl who becomes the apprentice to a hitman after her family is murdered by a [[NaughtyNarcs corrupt DEA agent]]. Her very first scene is her sitting near the stairs and smoking a cigarette. And throughout the movie's runtime, she swears and expresses sexual interest towards her mentor.
* ''Film/VampiresVsTheBronx'' is a HorrorComedy about a bunch of kids trying to save the Bronx from becoming the feeding grounds of a bunch of vampires. There's plenty of gore and death in it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/AptPupil'': The title character is a teen boy who makes friends with his elderly neighbor. The man, a German national, turns out to have been a Nazi officer. They bond over torture methods.
* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'': The book's protagonist, a young Irish boy named Francis Brady, who goes into madness.
* ''Literature/TheChrysalids'': The main characters are all young children at the start of the story, and still only teenagers by the end- however, the novel involves a lot of [[AuthorTract extended philosophical ruminations]] regarding the [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman true nature of humanity]].
* Inverted with Creator/NeilGaiman's novel, ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'', which ''was'' written for children, but evokes a vastly different reaction between the intended audience and the grown-ups who read it. Kids, Gaiman found out, see it as a child protagonist cleverly using their wits to escape danger. Grown-ups see a child left on her own in mortal peril.
* The children's book parody ''Do You Want to Play with My Balls?'' is about two boys of about five playing with toy balls and trying to reach a truce with their mean classmate Sally. The humour comes from their phrasing [[BallsGag making it seem like they're talking about the other meaning of "balls".]]
* ''Literature/EndersGame'' and its spin-off, ''Literature/EndersShadow'' both take place at a military school for children- Ender is 7 at the beginning of his story and Bean is 4. Although they grow up a bit during the story, they are still young teens at the end of the book- but it is clearly written for adults, featuring adult themes and a reading level far too difficult for most elementary schoolers to read at all.
* The ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'' version written by Creator/CharlesPerrault targets an adult audience. The short story ends with Little Red Riding Hood taking off her clothes before going to bed with the wolf dressed as her grandmother, who eventually devours her. The Hood here represents Little Red Riding Hood's virginity, while TheBigBadWolf is a symbol for... ''rapists''. Perrault even explains in a note at the end of the story that it's a cautionary tale about sexual predators.
* ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''. A group of British schoolboys crashes on a DesertedIsland where, instead of engaging in a traditional {{Robinsonade}}, they devolve into brutality and turn against one another. And yes, nowadays it is a set book at many schools[[note]]Even then, it's usually assigned for high school students due to its mature themes.[[/note]] but originally it has not been aimed at kids.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Many of the viewpoint characters are teenagers or younger, with Bran Stark beginning the series at age 7. As a MedievalEuropeanFantasy in a CrapsackWorld, their age doesn't spare them from mortal danger and {{death|OfAChild}}, [[AltarDiplomacy political marriages]], [[AChildShallLeadThem dangerous leadership positions]], [[EnfantTerrible assassin training]], or other perils of the setting's dynastic war.
* Many of Creator/StephenKing's works have children at the center of the story, but a children's author, he ain't. His juvenile characters are at no less risk than his adult ones for having all sorts of nasty things to happen to them; while they do stand a better chance at living to the end than the adults, that doesn't always save them.
** ''Literature/HeartsInAtlantis'': The opening novella "Low Men In Yellow Coats" explores a 10-year-old boy named Bobby spending the summer of 1960 with his best friend, falling for a girl, and being mentored by a mysterious elderly man who moves into the room above his home. It could almost be a YA novel until rape, heartbreak, and a clan of sinister humanoid creatures enter the story.
** ''{{Literature/IT}}'': The first half follows the main characters at the age of twelve when they first battle the titular monster. The second half has them as adults returning to their hometown to do it all over again.
** ''The Body'': This short story, which became the classic film ''Film/StandByMe'', is about four twelve-year-old boys going to find a dead body.
** ''Literature/TheGirlWhoLovedTomGordon'': The titular girl is a nine-year-old who gets lost in the woods and suffers a whole host of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane terrors.
* ''Literature/TheOceanAtTheEndOfTheLane'': most of the short novel is the narrator flashing back to a time in his childhood when he encountered a family of magical women. Although he tells it from a younger perspective the events become darker and more horrific as it continues.
* ''Literature/TheTinDrum'' is a German novel which was also adapted as a movie. It features as the protagonist a young boy who decides to stop himself from growing any older than seven. He observes the violent events of World War II from a child's perspective, beating his toy drum.
* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter and filtered through her viewpoint.
* ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew'' by Henry James is a psychological novel for adults that features two {{Creepy Child}}ren and their governess. Many events in the book (adapted many times as a motion picture or television drama) focus on strange things the children say or do. The theme questions how can we be certain what we experience is real.
* ''Literature/QuiteContrary'': the protagonist, Mary, is twelve years old, and after getting lost in the forest, accidentally stumbles into the [[FairyTaleFreeForAll world of fairy tales]]- only this isn't a kids book, and it's not the [[{{Grimmification}} kid-friendly version]] of the fairy tales. In addition to a generally adult level of violence and death, the main villain of the book is the Big Bad Wolf, who is intent on either eating or raping Mary (or both).
* Works by Creator/VCAndrews often feature children being involved in tough situations such as incest or abuse ala SouthernGothic:
** The ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' sees the two main protagonists, Chris and Cathy, engaging in BrothersisterIncest after being locked up in the attic by their mother.
** ''Literature/TheCasteelSeries'' sees the heroine, Heaven, sold by her father to an abusive foster family whose father commit statutory rape on her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'': The protagonist is a kindergartener who attends a school where he, his fellow classmates, and the school staff can get brutally murdered in various ways.
* ''VideoGame/Kindergarten2'': Sequel to the former with the same child protagonist along with more students, school staff, and ways to die.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterBash'' is a good example of this. Child main character Johnny Dash's pet dog Tex was kidnapped by the vampire Count Chuck, but the game is themed around horror, gore, necrotic and demon creatures, with levels including bloody pikes, skeletons, cemeteries, and catacombs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': While the protagonist is the middle-aged Joel, he's accompanied by the 14-year-old Ellie, who's just as important to the story as Joel is and is a constant presence past the prologue. [[spoiler:She's actually playable for one of the four main segments of the game, in which she has to face adult cannibals, zombies, and the cannibal leader who wants to keep her as his ''pet''.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'':
** ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo'': The protagonist is an 11-year-old girl named Clementine, whom the player has to help with navigating life in the post-apocalyptic world, handling tensions within her group of survivors (in which she's one of only two kids, and the only one who doesn't have a parent looking out for her) and growing up.
** ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonFour'' continues Clem's story, in which she is now 16 and taking care of [=AJ=], a 6-year-old boy. Almost the entirety of the cast are other children and teens, who live by themselves in an abandoned boarding school with no adults, and have to routinely kill zombies and bandits.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/GarbageIsland'' features a preadolescent boy but has cursing and mature themes.
* ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'' is about children at a summer camp, but it's loaded with swearing, dark humor, and other mature content.
* ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'': {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The shorts are rated "Teen" on Newgrounds and contain dark humor and horror, while the protagonists are a pair of young children.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BigMouth'' stars middle school children undergoing puberty, but is aimed at adults so it can explore the more explicit, taboo side of puberty.
* ''WesternAnimation/FudencioESeusAmigos'' is about a group of 9 year old children at school. It's also intended for adults, and is an AnimatedShockComedy.
* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' follows the titular Orel Puppington, a naïve 12-year-old who struggles with growing up in a Christian Fundamentalist neighborhood.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrince'' is a satire of the British Royal Family told from the point of view of Prince George, who was eight years old at the time of its debut.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has children who are around the ages of 8-10 as its main protagonists. However, it contains a lot of social satire, obscene language, violence, and sexual content ([[FromTheMouthsOfBabes often from the]] [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior children themselves]]) and is aimed at mature audiences.
[[/folder]]
----
In more {{downplayed}} cases, adult-oriented works with children as the protagonists may not necessarily contain content that's outright ''inappropriate'' for kids, but children still aren't the intended audience. This is usually because the work contains some thematic elements that would most likely go over children's heads, or other complicated subject matter that children would likely not understand or be interested in.
To count for this trope, the work must be aimed at adults or teenagers (likely containing content that's unsuitable for children, though this is not a requirement, as mentioned above); works that are supposed to be aimed at children but contain mature themes do not qualify.[[note]]The reason why UsefulNotes/SchoolStudyMedia such as ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' and ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies'' are listed on this page because they weren't originally written for children in the first place, and are almost always assigned in high school rather than any younger grades due to the mature content they contain.[[/note]] Additionally, the main characters in the work must be notably younger than the intended demographic. For example, an R-rated movie that has a 14 year old as the protagonist, or a PG-13 movie that has a 6 year old as the protagonist. Generally, a work that prominently features characters who are older teenagers (ages 16+) cannot be an example of this trope, since teenagers of that age are usually considered old enough to be viewing most mature works.
This trope is sometimes seen in a DarkFic of what was originally a kids' show, or a DarkParody of children's shows.
An inversion of OlderThanTheDemographic, for works that are meant for children but have adults or teenagers as the protagonists. Also contrast WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids, when the work ''is'' for children, but audience members find the content matter to be child-unfriendly. Can overlap with SubvertedKidsShow. Often results in WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids. Compare MatureAnimalStory for another trope about mature works featuring characters generally considered to be limited to children's fiction.
Indexes: {{Youngsters}}, RatedIForIndex, SubvertedInnocence, JuxtapositionTropes, PrecociousnessTropes, AgeDissonantIndex
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Manga/{{ERASED}}'' is a {{seinen}} psychological crime thriller in which the adult protagonist gets sent back in time to live as his child self again. As such, much of the story focuses on the elementary-school aged protagonist reliving a crucial part of his childhood trying to protect his classmates and hunt down a murderer.
* The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise (apart from the [[MultipleDemographicAppeal meandering]] [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha first season]]) is strongly targeted towards the [[{{Seinen}} 20+ male demographic]], despite the protagonists of most of its installments being 10 to 14 years young.
* ''Manga/MadeInAbyss'' features a very cute PuniPlush art style and initially presents itself as a light-hearted adventure story about a young girl named Riko and a robot boy named Reg exploring into the unknown titular abyss. It doesn't take very long before the series stops pulling its punches by having the main characters thrown into literal life-or-death situations; trying to survive against barely-known creatures who are absolutely ruthless in their own existence; having to deal with all manner of sickness, vomiting, nausea, [[PottyFailure involuntary loss of bladder control]]; BodyHorror caused by a literal curse created by the depths of the abyss; a completely deranged MadScientist who performs all manner or horrific experiments ForScience, and many more mysteries and horrors all PlayedForDrama the deeper they go down.
* ''LightNovel/KinosJourney'': The titular Kino is a VagueAge, but still clearly young compared to the adult characters who appear in the series. In the course of her travels, she encounters a group of slave traders who, when snowed in, ate their [[ImAHumanitarian "goods"]], a country where a brutal form of democracy saw the losing end of a vote subjected to the death penalty, a nation where travelers were forced to compete in gladiatorial games to the death, and a land where warfare between two nations had been turned into a competition to see who could slaughter the most members of a nearby native tribe.
* ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain''. Lain Iwakura is a girl in middle school who still wears teddy bear pajamas. During the course of the series, she visits a night club where a man on a mind accelerating cyber drug shoots someone else and then himself, inadvertently causes her older sister to suffer a brutal MindRape that leaves her a blank slate, sees a young man playing a VR game mistake a young girl for a monster in his game and shoot her, and has her become involved with a couple of MenInBlack who murder all the members of a rival faction. She catches a friend of hers engaging in ADateWithRosiePalms while fantasizing about a teacher, and then witnesses the same friend have a complete breakdown when they're confronted with a self-styled "God of the Wired".
* ''Manga/ShadowStar'' has a 12-year-old protagonist, but it's clearly aimed towards adults, and has disturbing violence and sexuality to show for it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/LenoreTheCuteLittleDeadGirl'': The protagonist Lenore is an undead ten-year-old girl ([[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld technically over 100]]), with creepy childlike innocence towards blood, horror and death. It's a horror series with adult jokes about sex and a high level of violence, so not aimed at ten year olds.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/TheRugratsTheory'' is a DarkFic based on ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' focusing on three-year-old Angelica. It has themes such as mental illness, drugs, and a case of ChildhoodBrainDamage that's PlayedForDrama.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Butterfly'' is a coming-of-age story about a young boy learning about love and other matters during the waning days of Spain's Second Republic, with an ending that is not terribly kid-friendly at all.
* ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' is about a Muslim girl who joins the titular dance group who specializes in suggestive dancing including twerking.
* ''Film/FannyAndAlexander'': The protagonists are the titular children (Alexander more so). They largely serve an observational role as the story deals with their family's dramas, ranging from infidelity to dealing with a truly WickedStepfather who may or may not have killed his previous wife and daughters. The film is pretty frank with its sexual content and violence and there are many discussions on weighty topics that would fly over the heads of most younger audiences.
* The R-rated film ''Film/GoodBoys'' is about three preteen boys attempting to get invited to a [[WildTeenParty kissing party]] held by a popular student in middle school.
* The protagonists of ''Film/It2017'' are children, and it is a very mature horror flick.
* ''Film/JojoRabbit'' is about a ten year old boy growing up in Nazi Germany- it is written from an adult perspective, and deliberately contrasts our protagonists innocent acceptance of his world and his child-like view of Hitler with the harsh reality.
* The 1995 film ''Film/{{Kids}}'' is the fundamental example of this trope in film. Despite having teenage protagonists, the movie deals with the characters smoking drugs, performing juvenile delinquency, and even trying out sex for the first time. Ironically, the movie ''was'' intended to be viewed by preteens, but its mature content was serious enough to earn it a rating of NC-17.
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' is a dark fantasy about a little Spanish girl searching for magical medicines for her ailing, pregnant mother in the brutal years of Franco's regime, where the Falangists were still hunting down the Spanish Maquis.
* ''Film/TheProfessional'': One of the main leads is a 12-year-old girl who becomes the apprentice to a hitman after her family is murdered by a [[NaughtyNarcs corrupt DEA agent]]. Her very first scene is her sitting near the stairs and smoking a cigarette. And throughout the movie's runtime, she swears and expresses sexual interest towards her mentor.
* ''Film/VampiresVsTheBronx'' is a HorrorComedy about a bunch of kids trying to save the Bronx from becoming the feeding grounds of a bunch of vampires. There's plenty of gore and death in it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/AptPupil'': The title character is a teen boy who makes friends with his elderly neighbor. The man, a German national, turns out to have been a Nazi officer. They bond over torture methods.
* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'': The book's protagonist, a young Irish boy named Francis Brady, who goes into madness.
* ''Literature/TheChrysalids'': The main characters are all young children at the start of the story, and still only teenagers by the end- however, the novel involves a lot of [[AuthorTract extended philosophical ruminations]] regarding the [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman true nature of humanity]].
* Inverted with Creator/NeilGaiman's novel, ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'', which ''was'' written for children, but evokes a vastly different reaction between the intended audience and the grown-ups who read it. Kids, Gaiman found out, see it as a child protagonist cleverly using their wits to escape danger. Grown-ups see a child left on her own in mortal peril.
* The children's book parody ''Do You Want to Play with My Balls?'' is about two boys of about five playing with toy balls and trying to reach a truce with their mean classmate Sally. The humour comes from their phrasing [[BallsGag making it seem like they're talking about the other meaning of "balls".]]
* ''Literature/EndersGame'' and its spin-off, ''Literature/EndersShadow'' both take place at a military school for children- Ender is 7 at the beginning of his story and Bean is 4. Although they grow up a bit during the story, they are still young teens at the end of the book- but it is clearly written for adults, featuring adult themes and a reading level far too difficult for most elementary schoolers to read at all.
* The ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'' version written by Creator/CharlesPerrault targets an adult audience. The short story ends with Little Red Riding Hood taking off her clothes before going to bed with the wolf dressed as her grandmother, who eventually devours her. The Hood here represents Little Red Riding Hood's virginity, while TheBigBadWolf is a symbol for... ''rapists''. Perrault even explains in a note at the end of the story that it's a cautionary tale about sexual predators.
* ''Literature/LordOfTheFlies''. A group of British schoolboys crashes on a DesertedIsland where, instead of engaging in a traditional {{Robinsonade}}, they devolve into brutality and turn against one another. And yes, nowadays it is a set book at many schools[[note]]Even then, it's usually assigned for high school students due to its mature themes.[[/note]] but originally it has not been aimed at kids.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Many of the viewpoint characters are teenagers or younger, with Bran Stark beginning the series at age 7. As a MedievalEuropeanFantasy in a CrapsackWorld, their age doesn't spare them from mortal danger and {{death|OfAChild}}, [[AltarDiplomacy political marriages]], [[AChildShallLeadThem dangerous leadership positions]], [[EnfantTerrible assassin training]], or other perils of the setting's dynastic war.
* Many of Creator/StephenKing's works have children at the center of the story, but a children's author, he ain't. His juvenile characters are at no less risk than his adult ones for having all sorts of nasty things to happen to them; while they do stand a better chance at living to the end than the adults, that doesn't always save them.
** ''Literature/HeartsInAtlantis'': The opening novella "Low Men In Yellow Coats" explores a 10-year-old boy named Bobby spending the summer of 1960 with his best friend, falling for a girl, and being mentored by a mysterious elderly man who moves into the room above his home. It could almost be a YA novel until rape, heartbreak, and a clan of sinister humanoid creatures enter the story.
** ''{{Literature/IT}}'': The first half follows the main characters at the age of twelve when they first battle the titular monster. The second half has them as adults returning to their hometown to do it all over again.
** ''The Body'': This short story, which became the classic film ''Film/StandByMe'', is about four twelve-year-old boys going to find a dead body.
** ''Literature/TheGirlWhoLovedTomGordon'': The titular girl is a nine-year-old who gets lost in the woods and suffers a whole host of MaybeMagicMaybeMundane terrors.
* ''Literature/TheOceanAtTheEndOfTheLane'': most of the short novel is the narrator flashing back to a time in his childhood when he encountered a family of magical women. Although he tells it from a younger perspective the events become darker and more horrific as it continues.
* ''Literature/TheTinDrum'' is a German novel which was also adapted as a movie. It features as the protagonist a young boy who decides to stop himself from growing any older than seven. He observes the violent events of World War II from a child's perspective, beating his toy drum.
* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' is a story about a black man accused of raping a white woman in the 1930's, written from the perspective of his lawyer's young daughter and filtered through her viewpoint.
* ''Literature/TheTurnOfTheScrew'' by Henry James is a psychological novel for adults that features two {{Creepy Child}}ren and their governess. Many events in the book (adapted many times as a motion picture or television drama) focus on strange things the children say or do. The theme questions how can we be certain what we experience is real.
* ''Literature/QuiteContrary'': the protagonist, Mary, is twelve years old, and after getting lost in the forest, accidentally stumbles into the [[FairyTaleFreeForAll world of fairy tales]]- only this isn't a kids book, and it's not the [[{{Grimmification}} kid-friendly version]] of the fairy tales. In addition to a generally adult level of violence and death, the main villain of the book is the Big Bad Wolf, who is intent on either eating or raping Mary (or both).
* Works by Creator/VCAndrews often feature children being involved in tough situations such as incest or abuse ala SouthernGothic:
** The ''Literature/DollangangerSeries'' sees the two main protagonists, Chris and Cathy, engaging in BrothersisterIncest after being locked up in the attic by their mother.
** ''Literature/TheCasteelSeries'' sees the heroine, Heaven, sold by her father to an abusive foster family whose father commit statutory rape on her.
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/StrangerThings'' is partially influenced by the works of Creator/StephenKing, so this is to be expected. The first season centers around a group of preteen boys who attempt to locate their missing friend, and from then on it quickly spirals into a supernatural horror series that deals with the kids having to face EldritchAbomination{{s}}, as well as more mundane horrors, such as some of their peers being nearly as dangerous as the monsters. The later seasons ramp up the mature content; season 2 features Will clearly traumatized while routinely being possessed by the Mind Flayer, and season 3 gets quite a bit BloodierAndGorier.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Kindergarten}}'': The protagonist is a kindergartener who attends a school where he, his fellow classmates, and the school staff can get brutally murdered in various ways.
* ''VideoGame/Kindergarten2'': Sequel to the former with the same child protagonist along with more students, school staff, and ways to die.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterBash'' is a good example of this. Child main character Johnny Dash's pet dog Tex was kidnapped by the vampire Count Chuck, but the game is themed around horror, gore, necrotic and demon creatures, with levels including bloody pikes, skeletons, cemeteries, and catacombs.
* ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'': While the protagonist is the middle-aged Joel, he's accompanied by the 14-year-old Ellie, who's just as important to the story as Joel is and is a constant presence past the prologue. [[spoiler:She's actually playable for one of the four main segments of the game, in which she has to face adult cannibals, zombies, and the cannibal leader who wants to keep her as his ''pet''.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'':
** ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo'': The protagonist is an 11-year-old girl named Clementine, whom the player has to help with navigating life in the post-apocalyptic world, handling tensions within her group of survivors (in which she's one of only two kids, and the only one who doesn't have a parent looking out for her) and growing up.
** ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonFour'' continues Clem's story, in which she is now 16 and taking care of [=AJ=], a 6-year-old boy. Almost the entirety of the cast are other children and teens, who live by themselves in an abandoned boarding school with no adults, and have to routinely kill zombies and bandits.
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[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/GarbageIsland'' features a preadolescent boy but has cursing and mature themes.
* ''WebAnimation/CampCamp'' is about children at a summer camp, but it's loaded with swearing, dark humor, and other mature content.
* ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'': {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The shorts are rated "Teen" on Newgrounds and contain dark humor and horror, while the protagonists are a pair of young children.
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BigMouth'' stars middle school children undergoing puberty, but is aimed at adults so it can explore the more explicit, taboo side of puberty.
* ''WesternAnimation/FudencioESeusAmigos'' is about a group of 9 year old children at school. It's also intended for adults, and is an AnimatedShockComedy.
* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' follows the titular Orel Puppington, a naïve 12-year-old who struggles with growing up in a Christian Fundamentalist neighborhood.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrince'' is a satire of the British Royal Family told from the point of view of Prince George, who was eight years old at the time of its debut.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has children who are around the ages of 8-10 as its main protagonists. However, it contains a lot of social satire, obscene language, violence, and sexual content ([[FromTheMouthsOfBabes often from the]] [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior children themselves]]) and is aimed at mature audiences.
[[/folder]]
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