That's awesome you have something you like which you can enjoy together with your daughter. I think the age restriction is flawed, but is set up as a precaution to protect the children. Smallsteps might be advanced for her age mental wise, but some kids might be behind. That is the reason for the blanket age like that. I compare it to like the school system where there are grades, but the level of intelligence of students can vary greatly within it.
I think horror was mostly the movie I was too young to see. There were a lot "Shake Rattle and Roll" films during Halloween season, and they just show it on TV. I think they were rated R13, and I was watching them when I was 7. There were a lot of scared moments after watching it, but is now a fun memory I have with my siblings.
I think that the guides and the schools are looking at the lowest level, not even the average. And then with these guidelines, there is moral judgement. Violence is far more acceptable than nudity for instance. That is pretty strange - unless in the US.
I wonder if you (and I and others) learned better lessons in life because of this kind of exposure. It wasn't overly extreme, but it gave us fear and experience. Now with the crazy shit kids watch, what kind of adults do they become?
I think that's the point. It's set up to be inclusive, and to look out for those at the lowest level since those above it can manage better. I'd like to think the guidelines were born from kindness, and is just mishandled afterwards. As for Violence vs nudity, I think it's how it is handled and its effects. We have the police for violence, but nudity can lead to sex and early pregnancies which can wreck children's futures.
I'd like to think so. As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Of course, it all depends on how we cultivate that experience. Criminals chose the wrong lessons to learn from those experiences.