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Movie · Drama · 2018 · PG-13

The Hate U Give: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some violent content, drug material and language.

A powerful drama that gives teens and parents a lot to talk about. Sixteen-year-old Starr moves between her mostly Black neighborhood and her mostly white prep school, and her life splits open when she watches a police officer shoot her unarmed childhood friend during a traffic stop. The killing, the grief and anger that follow, protests that turn into riots, and threats from a local gang drive the story. Expect many s-words and an f-word or two, teen drinking at a party, and drug dealing as part of the plot. Age 13 reflects the on-screen killing and heavy themes rather than graphic content.

What's in it

Violence

Moderate

An officer shoots a teenager, who lies bleeding in the street as Starr watches. Shots hit a party and a family home, a teen is bruised from a beating by his mother's gang-leader boyfriend, riots bring tear gas, and a store is firebombed with people inside.

Language

Moderate

One or two f-words depending on the count and around two dozen s-words, plus 'ass,' 'bitch,' 'damn,' 'hell' and 'ho.' The n-word is heard a few times in song lyrics on the soundtrack.

Sex and nudity

Mild

Starr and her boyfriend kiss several times, her friends tease her about a condom he bought, and teen pregnancy comes up in conversation. Starr makes clear she isn't ready for sex. No nudity.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Teens drink at a house party, where Starr takes one sip and dislikes it. Adults drink beer, one mother is visibly drunk, and a few characters smoke. A gang's drug dealing runs through the story, and the slain friend sold to help his sick grandmother.

Scary or intense scenes

Moderate

The traffic-stop shooting is tense and upsetting, and Starr relives it in a nightmare that leaves her vomiting. She has already lost another friend to gun violence. Gang members threaten her family, and a young boy pulls out a gun during a standoff.

Sensitive topics

  • Racism
  • Death of a child
  • Domestic abuse
  • Child abuse

Worth talking about

Starr talks and acts differently at school than at home. Ask your teen whether they ever feel they have to be two people, and why finding one voice matters so much to her.

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, movieguide.org, moviemom.com, Wikipedia, bbfc.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.