Kids nowadays seem to be maturing and growing up way faster than previous generations. 8-year-olds today are seen in Sephora replenishing their 5-step skincare routines, selling out Stanley cups, and dressing like teenagers all over social media. Sure, most of us wanted to act like adults when we were kids but many parents are worried that children these days are taking it to another level.
One mom recently shared her worries about her child being adultified at a sleepover where the kids were served cocktail-looking drinks. She desperately wanted her child to cherish her childhood instead of rushing into adulthood. However, her anxieties were met with commenters who told her that she was being quite uptight.
It can be bittersweet watching your child grow up
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels (not the actual photo)
This mom wanted her kid to enjoy childhood as long as possible, so when she saw her being “adultified,” she freaked out
Image credits: Thirdman / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Calpi
Image credits: Elias Suarez / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Kids are getting older younger
There’s even a term for kids growing up faster than they did before. “KGOY,” or “kids getting older younger” means they are becoming more savvy than their descendants.
This might be caused by the fact that, on average, parents provide their children with a smartphone at the age of 10, opening them to unlimited news, social media, and other freedoms that were previously inaccessible to kids and reserved for adults. By having such privileges, children are in a way forced into digital pressures that require emotional maturity to navigate. Meanwhile, previous generations enjoyed a childhood free from rules, oversight, and everything else that comes with the Internet and social media.
Marketing often takes advantage of kids having better awareness of social media and brands so they advertise products to them instead of their parents. This worsens the problem, as children are more tempted to buy the latest skin care products or Stanley cups to stick to modern beauty ideals or avoid experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out).
However, if they are truly maturing and not just becoming more intellectually savvy is a matter of perspective. Gen Z was found to finish education, leave home, drink alcohol, and drive later than their descendants, making some believe that kids are, in fact, maturing more slowly.
Experts point out that it might be difficult to measure the idea of growing up in a social and cultural context, as there are so many aspects that make up childhood that it’s almost impossible to pinpoint one thing that could be a primary influence on the speed at which children mature.
Evidence also suggests that adults tend to idealize their childhoods, which might skew their view of children today. So it’s a possibility that people who say that kids nowadays are growing up faster may be just comparing themselves to their own nostalgic years, which doesn’t accurately represent reality.
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Children’s exposure to information has changed
Shelley Pasnik, senior vice president and director of the Center for Children and Technology, admits that what has truly changed is children’s exposure to information. Now they’re constantly being fed “media-delivered ideas” (online content that is intended for adults) and being exposed to them much sooner.
“There is increased exposure to violent or sexual content at a younger age, which causes a desensitisation and normalisation, because children’s brains aren’t fully developed to process this in a way that an adult brain can,” says child psychiatrist Dr. Willough Jenkins. “Of course, part of the exposure is to other people, too. Children can communicate with strangers without supervision, which leads to an increased risk of cyberbullying or adult conversations that they are not equipped to handle.”
This can lead to kids facing adult realities before they are ready for them, which can be interpreted as growing up too quickly. On the other hand, intense modern parental involvement in children’s lives is making their environments more controlled and secure, which can slow down their maturing.
So it’s truly a double-edged sword. Viewed one way we could say that children are being kept younger by their parents, who shield them more than in previous generations. Viewed another way, kids might just be exhibiting how maturing looks in today’s society.
Therefore, in a way, it’s both important and not to protect the childhood of kids. If a child comes into contact with something they might not be knowledgeable about yet, it might have negative consequences for them. But if parents shield their kids from everything that might have the potential to harm them, they might be encouraged to slow down in their growing-up process. Good parenting means that caregivers should know when they should step in and protect their children and when to do otherwise.
The mom added a comment to explain
Some readers thought the mom was being unreasonable
While others saw where she was coming from
