Fairytales 'too scary for modern kids'

Traditional fairytales are being ditched by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.

Research revealed one in five parents has scrapped classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in favour of more modern books.

One third of parents said children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood.

And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and execution.

Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it condones stealing.

And 52% of parents said Cinderella didn't send a good message to their children as it portrays a young woman doing housework all day.

The survey of 2,000 adults was commissioned to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which features six gritty episodes based on traditional fairytales.