Are Children Growing Up too Quickly These Days?

In most societies, children are perceived as vulnerable individuals who are in need of protection and support. They do not yet have the education or experience of the world to fend for themselves and so it is up to parents or guardians to provide for their children. This has not always been the view, though, as prior to the twentieth century most children were expected to work and did not have the option of attending school and furthering their education. However, times have changed, so that society has adopted different attitudes and feelings towards childhood.

In the UK, legislation was passed throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to prevent children from working and to make formal schooling compulsory. Children were no longer expected to work and contribute financially to the family; it was up to their parents to look after them. Childhood came to be seen as a time for youngsters to go outside and play with their friends without having to worry about the types of issues that adults have to deal with. Ideally, children wouldn't have to feel the stress that their parents did, because school was meant to be enjoyable.

How much this has proved to be the case is unclear, though. No matter how much parents try to shield their financial or relationship difficulties from their children, children are extremely perceptive creatures whose sensitivity can cause them to develop anxieties. Plus, even though there are children who enjoy getting an education, going to school has always been a stressful experience for some. School is a competitive place where grades matter and the desire to fit in can lead to stress, whilst most children will be bullied at some point during their childhood.

Over time, children have become less inclined to go outside to play with friends when there are computers to play with, instead, and parental concerns about their welfare and the potential for child abduction have arisen. Children face a great deal of pressure at school to achieve good grades due to the competition for university places and the chance to get ahead in a career, so that the stress can become overwhelming. Childhood seems to be less fun and carefree as it was during the twentieth century, when children were increasingly able to appreciate the benefits of being young.

Nowadays, though, children seem to be in too much of a rush to grow up. Little girls don't want to be seen to play with their dolls when all their friends are wearing make-up and wearing clothes more suitable for an adult. Children are being conditioned to grow up sooner than they have to, as companies seek to create a new generation of customers who will pester their parents into buying them whatever they want.

There are children who dress provocatively, trying to emulate their favourite celebrities, and who start drinking and having sex before they are emotionally and physically ready for these types of activities. Instead of enjoying their childhood, it seems as though children spend their pre-teen years so desperate to become adults that they miss out on an important part of growing up, which may be damaging for them and for wider society.