Is Pretty Little Liars: Summer School appropriate for kids? (Age rating explained)

For those of you who like teen dramas with horror splashed in, then Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (aka season 2) is definitely the show for you! The new installment officially premiered with the first two episodes Thursday, May 9, 2024 on Max. If you haven't checked it out and are wondering whether it's ok for your kids, you're probably wondering if it's appropriate for them.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is rated TV-MA, which means it's not appropriate for teens who are under 17 years of age. So that does mean the slasher teen drama is definitely not for kids. As someone who's seen the first five episodes of the season (they were made available to press ahead of the premiere), I definitely don't recommend kids watch this show. And here's why.

Trigger warning: This article mentions sexual assault

Why kids should not watch PLL: Summer School on Max

First of all is that the story of PLL: Summer School is centered around the horror genre. If you like these types of movies and series', then you're really going to enjoy the show because there's lots of great callbacks and inspiration from those classic horror films. But that's also the reason why it's not appropriate for kids. It's going to be too scary for them. Though Summer School isn't too graphic and bloody compared to other shows, it can still be frightening for a younger audience. And this season's big bad - Bloody Rose - literally has bloody bandages covering her face. Plus, the first few minutes of episode 1 features Archie Waters going on a killing spree, with characters stabbed and their throats being slit. So, yeah. Not what you want kids to see.

Some other mature themes include dating and sex, though again they're not very graphic. But these are hormonal teens after all. And while it hasn't been explored in full yet, Kelly's church is definitely a cult. There's no way it would be introduced and the story isn't going to go there. And I have a feeling things are going to get more extreme. Also in season 1, both Imogen and Tabby were sexually assaulted. And this is still talked about in season 2 at the girls' therapy sessions, as well as it's still a big focus on Tabby's storyline. The language is definitely mature as well, they are teens after all.

So overall I think for older teens perhaps around the age of 14 and older, it could be ok for them to watch Pretty Little Liars: Summer School even if the series is rated TV-MA. Though anyone younger than that, especially kids 11 and under, definitely shouldn't be watching it. Even with parental supervision. It can be a bit graphic at times, and there's a lot of mature content that isn't appropriate for their age.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School streams new episodes Thursdays on Max.