Concerning books, my parents never really 'let me' read or not read anything. They aren't big readers themselves; indeed, in my family I'm the only one with such a passion about books. So I pretty much read whatever I wanted to. And I was quite ahead in my reading so I don't think I would have stuck with reading children's and young adult books all the time, although I still
do read such books, but mingled with many adult books, and I think I would've been sensible enough to put down any book I might've been uncomfortable with -- not that I ever did come across such a book.
And yes, in primary school I'd also go around the playground enacting scenes from horror films and the like...and as I said around here recently, I even had a red haired doll that I called Chucky! I don't think I've been particularly affected by these films (apart from being a little bloodthirsty and ghoulish now...I'd rather watch a nice gory horror film than any silly rom coms or what have you and where some scenes make my friends turn away in disgust, I'm usually the one watching it and saying "oh, cooool!"
) I've certainly never been traumatised by anything I've watched and I have always known that the films are exactly that: just films (although sometimes my over-active imagination forgets that when I'm in a pitch black room by myself
)