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I've never been one for swearing. (I will occasionally say "damn" or "damned," or, very rarely, "piss.") I sort of have to verbally put quotes around swear words if I want to use them them in conversation, e.g. to repeat what someone else has said.
This has not, of course, stopped my kids from learning the words, but they don't have a leg to stand on for using them around the house. (Actually, we had to explain to our older daughter, who came here from China at age 11 speaking no English, what the words she was repeating in a garbled way meant, as well as how to pronounce them correctly, so that she wouldn't use them accidentally. Ah, the wonders of public school transportation....)
It's a matter of politeness and context, I think. As with all language, one needs to be aware of the "customs of the tribe" when one chooses to use swear words, and take into account how others will react. In some contexts, the words are not rude-- they are part of fitting in. In other contexts, the words are quite rude, and to use them is to deliberately offer provocation. (Which I think most teenagers understand quite well-- but I'm less sure about 10-year-olds.)
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