In this day and age, it seems that the line of when a child is supposed to stop acting like a child keeps getting lower and lower. Speaking with family members and just looking at the media across the decades, it is very apparent that society is moving away from innocence in exchange for wokeness in our kids.
Now more than ever, we see parents who claim their children where born in the wrong gender and they dress them according to their beliefs, and in previous generations, this would be recognized for the possible illness it could be, and the proper help was distributed the child and the parent.
There is nothing wrong with an adult wanting to be something it naturally isn’t. If that’s their choice, why would anyone care, but to do this to children and put all these ideas in their heads, it’s clear that something isn’t right.
There has been a recent stir only regarding Kim Kardashian and Kanye’s daughter, North, who recently started posting videos online and most scandalous, was due to a video she posted with an artist known as Ice Spice, who makes music for very mature audiences and fans are recalling a moment where Kanye said he didn’t want his daughter to be online, and Kim ignored it. A lot of parents are taking his back, because of what this means for the future generations, having so much exposure to technology and the internet. Is it all on the parents? Or do we as a society and nation who want to better overall get a say as well?
Dan Uribe
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As stated by a previous comment, it is inevitable that children are exposed to social media/technology at a young age. I don’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing as long as there are parental measures set in place (censorship against mature topics such as murder, protective measures set for the children against potential predators, learning about online safety). While some parents may project onto their children, some see social media as a way to bond with their child, support their expression of identity online, and potentially open a topic of conversation for other parents/children. In the case of North Kardashian, as long as she consented to being online and that Kim has ensured her interactions with Ice Spice (or any adults) are safe, I don’t think that what Kanye wants is of any matter. Understandably, he may be concerned about her safety but if she wants to be online, it may be best to just abide by providing her a safer environment to do so. Ultimately, it comes down to consent and open communication between the parental figure and child.
As stated by a previous comment, it is inevitable that children are exposed to social media/technology at a young age. While there should be strict guidelines (censorship against mature topics such as murder, protective measures set for the child against potential predators, learning online safety, etc.) set by the parents and discussed with the child, I don’t think that early exposure is necessarily a bad thing. Seeing unknown content opens up a conversation. As for children using social media, while some parents do project onto their children, that is not always the case. As long as the child consents, some parents see social media as a way of bonding with their children. In the case of North Kardashian, if she wants to be on social media and Kim has ensured that the interaction between Ice Spice and her daughter are safe, I don’t think that it matters what Kanye wants. Understandably it may be for her safety, but if children are going to find a way to do what they want, shouldn’t the parent abide with their decisions by providing the safest measure to do so? Ultimately what it comes down to, is the open communication between parents and children.
The constant exposure of adult media in TikTok to an unmonitored child has a great impact on the way children perceive themselves. With unlimited and unsupervised access to TikTok, a lot of the times kids imitate people that they see on the internet because it’s “cool” and “trendy”. However, I don’t believe kids know that the doing of their “harmless” actions actually have dire consequences. By monitoring an close eye on what one’s child consumes on social media can mitigate this problem.
I do understand that kids are seeming to mature faster nowadays, and I wonder how much of this results from social media. Kids have access to phones and social media at a young age and I remember being that age and paying attention to what was popular because I wanted to fit in, so I think the same can be said for this generation. I will say that I think children are being given access to electronics too young, there is a lot of scary and dangerous content that they could get themselves into. I do not think young children should be given electronics because I feel as though this could mess with their development.
I feel like this is a really important thing going on nowadays, especially with the use of social media, it makes it easy for kids to want to see what else is going on, what everyone else believes, what is popular, what they should be like and compare themselves to that. I think that a lot of it should be monitored espically since kids are so impressionable. I think that music choice should also be more monitoried because rehearing some of the lyrics, its really not that aropriate for a child. Im not sure in which way there can be more survaliencce about this, but i do think this is becoming a bigger upcoming issue.
I think this phenomenon is connected to the fact that there are fewer spaces for preteens in today’s world, in media, and physically. No more roller rinks, affordable places at the mall, or community centers. There are very few movies and tv shows catering to this age range. No more clothing brands dedicated to preteens. This in addition to the fact that preteens have unmonitored access to social media where they’re getting to see what kinds of clothing, bodies, and behavior are viewed as desirable. It is inevitable that they are going to want to grow up quicker than they used to.
I strongly believe that the next generation of children is growing up too fast. I think that the influence of popular artists, especially for young girls, is prominent. When I was growing up, I also had famous influences like this, but I primarily listened to their music and wasn’t as influenced by their persona. Now, with the prominence and accessibility of technology to children of all ages, it is difficult to escape picking up the attitude of celebrities that children look up to. Technology is forcing kids to grow up faster and faster.
I think this phenomenon is connected to the fact that there are less spaces for preteens in todays world, in media, and physically. No more roller rinks, affordable places at the mall, community centres. There are very few movies and tv shows catering to this age range. No more clothing brands dedicated to preteens.This in addition to the fact that preteens have unmonitored access to social media where they’re getting to see what kinds of clothing, bodies, and behaviour are viewed as desirable. It is inevitable that they are going to want to grow up quicker than they used to.
Nowadays, as internet and technology has been widely popularized, the users tended towards younger kids. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as internet helps children access more and broad their horizons. However, the opinions and behaviors of children and adolescents can be easily shaped and altered due to underdevelopment of their mental age and physical structures. In the particular case of children and adolescents claiming their gender or sexual orientations, what they claim are not necessarily solid facts. I remembered there was a case in which a boy believed that he was born in the wrong gender and identified himself as a female, and his parents respected, acknowledging him to dress according to his beliefs and acknowledging him to take transsexual treatments and operations, while later the boy was regretful and claimed he actually thought he was a male. Moreover, children and adolescents were naive and thus super susceptible to be harmed by online crime behaviors. There was a Blue-Whale game spreading online in various forums, abetting young people to complete darksome and horrible tasks which will eventually lead to the last step of performing suicides. Thus, I believe it’s necessary to leave kids just as kids, instead of kids men. Parents should monitor and regulate their children’s internet usage and social media behaviors, while the society should set up regulations, preventing exposure of illegal informations or information of adversely-guiding to young people.
I think the phenomenon we’re seeing is connected to many things but mostly that there is less of a space dedicated to “preteens” in media, in public. No more roller rinks, no more stores at malls that are affordable to preteens, very few shows, very few clothing brands. This in addition to the fact that kids have unrestricted access to social media where they are seeing the kinds of images, fashion, behaviour that is “desirable”, the respect that comes with it. I feel like it is inevitable that kids feel like they need to grow up quicker than they used to.n
With social media being as popular as it is, people are engaging in social media at younger ages in the present day. As kids are easily influenced by their environment, they commonly interact with people older than them. The line between childhood and adulthood is becoming more and more unclear. 13 year olds now look like 21 year olds. Kids are becoming older and older faster than ever before. Kids are rarely seen as having a childhood, especially in a modern society where everything is online and everything seen is an advertisement for something.
It seems to me that we need to have laws that are stricter about how parents utilize their children for financial gain. It always hard to secure the rights for children because of the special nature of the parent-child relationship that makes it different from other interpersonal relationships. It is easy for children to accept the opinions and stands of their parents as their own. They may find it normal to take instructions from parents. Most importantly, they rely on their parents for a living. Even they do not agree with or feel uncomfortable about the behaviors of their parents, many of they will choose to obey their parents in the end.
It’s inevitable that kids in today’s day and age are going to have access to the Internet and social media channels, and parents will not always be there to monitor. I grew up around iPads and whatnot, but my parents limited what sites I was allowed on, and I was not allowed to have social media until my junior year of high school. Since being on social media, I can see the difference in how I view and present myself, so I could only imagine what kind of turmoil that might cause in people younger than me, people who are growing up in the age of filters and constant editing and hunt for online validation. I think kids should be allowed to express themselves, but parents should definitely have discretion over Internet usage and how they present themselves in media, not just for their mental health, but physical safety as well.
I agree with the author’s concerns about kids’ access to the internet because now more than ever, explicit and mature content is easy to access. On apps like TikTok and Instagram, this kind of content is fed to children because there are no controls to limit their exposure to mature content on these apps. While parenting is subjective and individualized to the needs of the child and the personality of the parent, I believe that children crave boundaries to make sense of the world and that a parent’s role is to protect their child and guide them on the right path to positively contribute to society, so I think that parents should be very involved in their child’s internet presence and internet access.
Synonymous across all generations are kids not wanting to be kids. It is easy for adults to look at and wish they’re kid acted just like kids, but I remember being a kid and wanting nothing more than to be an adult. With the new generation of children growing up with and on the internet this lust for adulthood is all the more challenging. It is hard to say whether phone or internet restriction could help this growing need for children internet safety. I think some platforms are moving in the right direction like the separate app for Youtube Kids and this could be a good direction for platforms to move with.
Since I have a little sister who is ten it also stresses me how much time she spends on social media and what she consumes. I always see her watching youtube videos of SSSniperWolf. Even though from just observing her videos seem harmless and just reactions/reviews of other viral videos I get anxious that my little sister might see her as role model and try to act/dress the way she dresses. I see my sister ad a little kid who don’t understand what she is watching and needs protection. However, sometimes I realize that when I was her age I had a reason for every action I took and was aware of my surroundings. Whenever that happens I need to remind myself that even though she is young she is an individual person herself who has her thoughts and reasons for her actions. When I sit down and talk to her as an individual that is on the same level as me (not just a baby) she is surprisingly mature and understanding. That makes me think that when I see something that she is doing/watching that I do not like then I should talk to her and reason it out instead of just shutting her down and saying “no!”. People need to understand that children are able to make their own decisions and can change their mind about something if given a proper explanation.
I do think kids nowadays are growing up really quickly because of their access to technology and the internet. They’re exposed to so much more than what we were exposed to at their age. Being on social media at a younger age exposes them to all the societal standards and I think in turn this leads to lower self esteem, depression, and anxiety. Instagram and TikTok adds pressure to kids to have to look a certain way or have to be doing certain things that they see everyone else doing. I think that younger kids being on social media makes them want to be just like the celebrities they follow and they want to feel older. Kids have easier access to social media and everything on the internet today and it is harder to keep them off of it completely so we need to do better in limiting what they are viewing at a certain age.
The safety of children in the digital age is a growing concern, especially when it comes to online gaming and communication platforms. As someone who works with kids, I have witnessed firsthand the potential risks they face while interacting with others online. The anonymity provided by online platforms can be worrisome, as it becomes difficult to ascertain the true identities and intentions of the individuals children may face. Online games like Roblox, also expose children to inappropriate conversations and content. It is essential for parents, educators, and caregivers to educate children about online safety, establish clear boundaries, and closely monitor their online activities.
I agree with the observation that children often exhibit behaviors that seem inappropriate with their age. It’s crucial to recognize that placing the blame only on parents may not capture the full picture. Society as a whole plays a significant role in shaping the way children behave and perceive themselves. Smartphones and widespread access to social media have introduced children to a world that previous generations did not encounter during their formative years. The constant exposure to curated images and societal expectations can have a profound impact on their self-image and behavior. It is essential to consider these external influences when discussing the reasons behind children not fully embracing their age and the traditional joys of childhood.
Since I have a little sister who is ten it also stresses me how much time she spends on social media and what she consumes. I always see her watching youtube videos of SSSniperWolf. Even though from just observing her videos seem harmless and just reactions/reviews of other viral videos I get anxious that my little sister might see her as role model and try to act/dress the way she dresses. I see my sister ad a little kid who don’t understand what she is watching and needs protection. However, sometimes I realize that when I was her age I had a reason for every action I took and was aware of my surroundings. Whenever that happens I need to remind myself that even though she is young she is an individual person herself who has her thoughts and reasons for her actions. When I sit down and talk to her as an individual that is on the same level as me (not just a baby) she is surprisingly mature and understanding. That makes me think that when I see something that she is doing/watching that I do not like then I should talk to her and reason it out instead of just shutting her down and saying “no!”.
Navigating the behavior and individuality of children in today’s society can be a complex task that often clashes with their unique family backgrounds. Parenting, in the grand scheme of human existence, is a relatively modern concept, and the roles children play in the world are constantly evolving. While children today may appear different from how I experienced childhood, they are still young individuals seeking to make sense of the world around them. The article’s critique of “wokeness” brings up a valid point that warrants attention.
However, the discussion of gender identity and experimentation in the first half of the article was clumsily presented. It is essential to acknowledge that children’s exposure to the Internet is inevitable in this digital age. In response, adults must strive to gain a better understanding of the Internet and the world at large. By doing so, they can effectively guide their children through topics that are often intertwined with politics and controversy.
Although some online content is age-restricted and certain parents choose to prohibit their underage children from using social media, these limitations are easily bypassed by tech-savvy kids. Kanye West’s perspective on this matter holds validity, and Kim’s disregard for it represents a separate issue between the two. However, we cannot revert to a time before the Internet, as our notion of what constitutes a typical childhood is subject to change.
Considering that children will inevitably encounter online content, we, as adults, must be prepared to address their actions and responses to the stimuli they consume. It is crucial for us to engage with them, provide guidance, and foster open discussions that help them navigate the complex digital landscape.
It’s hard to say whether or not kids are acting their age nowadays because it changes for every generation. As someone who is 10 years younger than your older siblings, I was being told I wasn’t acting my age because I had interests that were different than what my brothers were into at my age. Kids these days have not known a world without readily available smartphones, of course that’s going to affect the way they act. Having access to the internet and the media can be super damaging to young kids because there are so many standards to beauty and fame and glamour, its no wonder kids are acting more grown, their idols who they get to see in the palm of their hands are more often than not older than them and thus are going to act older, leading to more and more kids to acting “older”.
I think that there should be boundaries set up for these exact types of situations. I feel that parenting is a very subjective process and it is very different for all, but I think that it is only detrimental to try and attempt to raise the future generations as woke. It is great to educate your children, but it is bad to give them your beliefs especially extreme ones, such as being allowed to view mature content that is not suited for them. In this case, one parent is trying to reach more of an audience by having their child on TikTok dressed as a known public figure, “Ice Spice”, which has more of an impact not only on parenting but on all the children growing up in our societies. Since they are a famous family, this could potentially normalize this type of behavior across all households.
I agree that the internet can be incredibly harmful to children, especially if they have unlimited access. However, I feel that too often the responsibility of what children are shown online falls completely on the social media platform or whatever it may be. While these platforms should have restrictions in place in order to prevent these kinds of things from happening, it is ultimately up to the parents. They should be the ones guiding their children and controlling what they can see, until they are at an age where they can decide that for themselves.
It’s really interesting to see how kids these days are in a way forced to grow up so fast just to keep up with peers and avoid being made fun of. The kids of today have grown up with standards for beauty and fame and wealth all around them, no longer is it an out of sight out of mind type of system, it’s so easy to see what is seen as trending and what is the new thing and as an impressionable kid it’s hard to not desire these things. While I’m sure a lot of parents now are seeing the benefits of keeping their kids from the online world in theory, in practice this seems almost impossible. From what I remember being a kid, jealousy always exists, so to keep your child away from this world that most of their peers are likely to actively exist will lead to jealousy on your child’s part and can even lead them to be ostracized by their peers for being different. As adults we value when people challenge norms and do things without a care for how other people see them, but this is an acquired value, as young kids, it’s rare to not care about what other say about you.
To prevent people and especially children from being exposed to certain content online is unfeasible however parents should have the ability to prevent their children from being exposed to certain content such as preventing social media usage until a certain age. I do agree that children should be restricted but also have the freedom to do certain things. However, I disagree with the post saying that parents are forcing their children to dress as their opposite gender– children are not stupid and have the ability to think for themselves. I am on Kanye’s side tho because at 8 she is too young to be posting content like that and if I was Kanye I would be worried about pedophiles who are watching this content.
I agree that kids are innocent and adults should protect them from sexualized stuff that might be hard for them to comprehend. However, I do think it’s necessary to educate kids on multiple aspects of the world we are living in. If we look back to our childhood education, it’s hard to say which part is what we “truly are” because we get affected by factors from the environment all the time. Teaching kids different perspectives healthy and non-biasedly is an ideal form of proper education. They can choose how they want to express themselves after being exposed to a colorful worldview. Putting single-minded ideas into their head should not be considered as healthy education.
I agree with the author regarding the potential harm of early exposure to the internet for children, as children may be influenced to not act their age. However, with the growing availability to children of all ages it becomes much more difficult to keep them off the internet. Although its difficult to keep them off the internet, the parents should be able to filter out content that is inappropriate to their children.
Being that this is the age of technology and that we as a society have access to more information at palm of our hands, it makes complete sense that children are now starting to act older. As much as parents would like to limit their usage and exposure to the internet, I think that there is only so much that can be done, because kids are gonna find ways to keep accessing the internet. I think that instead of trying to restrict and restrict, I think that parents should mostly monitor and let their kids explore, but only things that are appropriate for their age. Also, if they decide to restrict things that are inappropriate for their age, they should explain why they are being restricted, because if not, then the kid is just going to rebel and access whatever they could not access before. While I do think that we as a society need to be more open with children and educate the youth and guide them on what is right and what is wrong, I also think that we should still let kids be kids and express themselves any way they please, and not burden them with any unnecessary baggage that they may be too young to understand.
I think that the main argument regarding the dangers of childrens’ unlimited and often uncensored access to the internet is a valid concern, yet it’s lost beneath the plea for preserving gender-based innocence. To give some context, in Kanye’s 2018 song “Violent Crimes”, West conveys a dishearting realization that the over-sexualization of women perpetuated by men will one day extend to his own daughter, prompting him to plea for the preservation of his daughter’s youth and innocence. Obviously, there are insurmountable dangers associated with the sexualization of children, however, I believe Tiktok and access to digital media are inevitable and so, the main goal should be for parents to establish healthy control and monitoring of internet usage, rather than the attack on a child’s mode of expression.
Children nowadays have greater access to technology at a much younger age in comparison to older generations. Without proper parental supervision, children can potentially experience early exposure to mature content that is inappropriate for their age. Parents need to monitor the content their children consume to ensure that the kids are utilizing the Internet as a helpful tool. Since the Internet can be a space for children to learn more about their interests, technology can be powerful in providing knowledge that allows kids to develop a greater sense of self. When kids misuse technology though, there can be detrimental consequences that may disrupt the kids’ development. Kids may feel pressured to act more maturely to maintain a cooler image or want to fit in with everyone else by knowing current trends. Also, kids may feel obligated to change themselves to appear older at the expense of their youth. Overall, parents and society should enforce greater restrictions on the use of technology by young children so that they’re able to grow as individuals without complete influence by social media platforms or the Internet.
I agree that children are starting to act more like adults at a progressively earlier age; however, it largely isn’t their fault. Parents should have a larger role in their child’s internet access to prevent these occurrences, like the one mentioned in the article. This is especially the case, as Internet access has become increasingly easier and widespread at a younger age – unfortunately with that risk, comes exposure to things that are not always age appropriate.
Children are growing up so fast that it’s concerning and a serious issue. Children aren’t children anymore, there doesn’t seem to be any innocence or protection anymore. So many children these days are being put on full blast — whether they are posting on social media, being featured in endless tiktok accounts, YouTube families, iPad kids, etc. The internet has become an amazing tool — there is so much we can do now that was impossible (or took a lot of effort) before. But as children begin to get more and more exposed to it, it feels like their childhood is being taken away. I recently came across a tiktok of “5th graders on their last day of school”. I looked at their outfits and out of the many kids they showed, only 3 of them seemed appropriate for a 5th grader. Heels, short and tight dresses, full glam makeup — what happened to kids being kids? They are growing up too fast. The sad thing is, I can’t blame them. And I can’t blame parents as well. It’s the constant exposure of social media that has completely derailed how a child grows. Sadly, I don’t think there’s any chance of us to stop this or slow it down. Society is moving so fast, that children are feeling pressured to keep up with the trends in order to avoid feeling ostracized.
I will try to keep this classy because I want you and other readers who may be seeing this to understand where I am coming from. I do think you are right in your analysis that children are having to grow up faster than they used to. Maybe this is a result of social media, or the pandemic, or something else entirely. However, the oft used response of “Children should not be exposed to LGBT themes or people” is a clever way of disguising your own homophobia/transphobia. Gender Identity Disorder is a real thing that can occur at any age and although is not diagnosed until the individual is older, is a very real experience for many people around the world. To pretend otherwise and say that the reason why kids are growing up faster is because we have progressed in our understanding of gender and sexuality is a frankly ignorant and asinine explanation. Crack open a book and stop watching Fox News, maybe you’ll learn something.
With the world getting more and more connected, information is constantly flowing and it would be almost impossible from preventing our children to be exposed to it, whether it be good or bad information. At the end of the day, they are still children, and although a “traditional” upbringing is frowned upon, I believe there are some things that we should get back to. Children should be given the freedom to learn to explore, but it is up to the parent to teach and guide. Every family has a different set of morals, a different upbringing, and that needs to be understood.
There is mounting evidence to support the fact that societal perceptions and expectations of childhood are evolving. There is much debate in the media and in homes about the appropriate age for children to mature and take on more responsibilities, including join the world of social media. However, this topic is extremely nuanced, therefore it is crucial to approach it with sensitivity and recognize the diverse perspectives that exist.
The amount of content online makes it extremely accessible to children, even mature content or inappropriate online activities. Now more than ever, parents must take an active role in monitoring and guiding their children’s internet usage. However, it is also essential for society as a whole to work towards creating a safe and healthy digital environment for children.
Finding the right balance between allowing children to explore their individuality and protecting their innocence can be challenging. I believe it is something that can be achieved through ongoing conversations, understanding, and empathy within families and greater communities. Ultimately, it is a collective effort involving parents, society, and various institutions to create an environment where children can grow and develop while feeling safe and supported.
I recently came across a video of a LGBTQ show in a preschool setting. The students could barely walk or speak their minds, and the school allowed a circus performance of the LGBTQ community where men were swinging their half naked butts in clown costumes and showing kids their polka dot undergarments. This is just ridiculous. I believe that children are entitled to as much innocent as the environment allows, and I will never let my 4yo attend a show that just instills certain ideas way too premature for their age. I am completely on Kanye’s side. There are just some things that my 8yos should not be seeing.
I agree with everyone who has said that children are no longer acting their age. However, I don’t necessarily think it’s their fault. Social media has always implemented huge beauty standards and ideas on how people should act. Children are more susceptible to being influenced at that age and their acting and dressing this way is a result of that. It is really sad to see that society and times have changed and children no longer want to be children and enjoy their youth, it’s more about wanting to be grown now.
Even though I understand that as the years progress and as technology gets more accessible, the youth would be more acclimated to current events and be more progressive than past generations. However, as controversial as he is, I may agree with Kanye on this one. As advanced as she is, if my daughter were North’s age, I might not allow her to be as friendly with Ice Spice as Kim did. Only because that’s a really formative age, and music that talks about how a girl’s boyfriend cheats yet still comes back to the girl he cheated on with in a nicer light isn’t the lesson I’d want to impress on my child. At least at that young of an age, Children shouldn’t be as exposed to explicit music that frequently.
I agree that kids are have to act like adults at a much younger age like skipping the preteen phase when it comes to the way they dress. Its due to things like the media sexualizing of teenagers etc. But kids are old enough to know if that they aren’t born in the right gender. Gender is a construct so giving children the opportunity to express themselves the way they want is better than forcing them into a box because of their sex. Raising them in an environment where they know they are loved no matter their gender is a good thing. Kim’s daughter is young to be on the internet but that’s a private decision for Kim and Kanye to agree on and isn’t relevant to the previous argument about gender.
I agree with your idea that children are becoming much less innocent far earlier due to technology. Now that most schools give kids access to some form of technology, they have the world’s knowledge at their fingertips. I am not sure what point you are trying to make when you talk about parents who “claim their children were born in the wrong gender” due to beliefs and having this be recognized previously as an illness. I agree that children have access to all of these ‘woke’ concepts which can be confusing to a young child, however, I don’t see how this ties in to what you were saying about parents claiming their children are born in the wrong gender. I think that the middle two paragraphs deviate from your initial point about children and the media, however, I think that the point about Kim Kardashian’s daughter is a very relevant topic currently due to popular culture also trickling down to celebrity’s children. Children should have the opportunity to mature and grow without acceleration from the media because I feel as though this could hinder the next generations overall development. To answer your question, yes, I do believe that this is all on the parents what the children are exposed to. I think that parents need to educate themselves on how to safely integrate technology into their children’s lives. I also think that it is the responsibility of technology companies, and even greater, us as a society, to try to formulate plans on how we will combat over consumption of technology.
A main factor in all of this is children’s use of social media. Kids now have unlimited access to different types of information through social media. Children are wanting to emulate qualities and factors that are trending, but many of these trending factors are meant for adult audiences. Parents should be monitoring what children are interacting with through social media so that their innocence can be protected.
I feel like there is nothing wrong with letting a child express their gender identity. However, I do think parents should have control over their child’s use of the internet. There is no reason why they should be viewing artist who are meant to have an older audience. It should be more age appropriate because there are a lot of dangers of allowing a child have access to the internet where there are a lot of creeps and people don’t always have good intentions especially when it comes to children. They should just be able to be a kid and not grow up too fast.
I agree with what you said about how children today seem to be acting less like children. There was a scandal a couple years ago about the influencer Danielle Cohn due to the fact that she was so young but wearing a lot of makeup and dressing in revealing clothing. The worst part of it all is that it’s alleged that her and her mother have lied about her age to make it seem more appropriate and “acceptable,” for her to express herself the way she did. However, I don’t necessarily agree that “wokeness,” as you put it leads to children being less innocent, at least in the way you say it does. I don’t think the issue of transgender youth is relevant to this sort of conversation and is a whole separate issue on its own. In my opinion, I don’t think it’s harmful for a child who is assigned a certain sex at birth to dress in clothing opposite to that sex or express themselves in a manner pertaining to the opposite gender because they feel they might be that gender. Things like skirts/dresses being attributed to girls is something that society has created and not something that has any true biological basis for femininity. You only feel it’s wrong because society has told you it’s wrong, but we could have easily lived in a world where skirts/dresses were for boys if society made that decision years before. On the topic of North, I do think that children having access to the internet at a young age and even being put on the internet at such a young age will be detrimental to them in some way in the long-term. Children now have easier access to content that isn’t age-appropriate through the internet, such as North listening to Ice Spice. As well, parents can now easily exploit their children for views and likes on their social media even though their children can’t truly fully consent to having their personal lives be viewed by potentially millions of people.
I agree that kids should act their age and that social media doesn’t help with this at all. With social media kids have access to information and images that were not there over 5 years ago. Especially with TikTok trends and music that trends on TikTok, a lot of dances that trend on TikTok have inapprorpriate music to it. Kids love to dance so when they see this they want to recreate and post it cause they’re having fun, they don’t know how sexual the dances are or know what the lyrics mean to the songs. Parents need to have more strict guidelines regarding them being on social media and what they post.
I agree that children do seem to be growing up quickly, however I feel that this is nothing new. When I was younger I would look up to my older cousins and sister and imitate the way they dressed and spoke. However, with the use of social media it is a lot easier for children to find things to imitate from older individuals. As for the discussion on gender norms, I do find that social media allows children to explore their own identity however I feel that there are other ways to allow this exploration other than social media on the parents’ part.
Children’s social media use 100% should be monitored and it is completely up to parents to set those boundaries. It is difficult to say what the golden age for social media use is as it is different in every situation. Social media can be a great resource for expressing creativity, learning techniques, building communities, and so on. For example, if a child is an incredible artist at a young age it may be productive to show their art to a larger audience or they can stick to the “consumer” end of things and learn about other artists’ processes and techniques. However, I do agree that both parents should agree on whether or not they are okay with their children being on social media, and to what extent.
A child imitating what they observe is nothing new of a concept. Copying behaviors, attitudes, actions, and phrases in adolescent years is crucial in forming one’s own understanding of themselves and societal norms. North West dressing up as a famous person or character isn’t the issue, because that’s what children do. And this is no means in saying that what Ice Spice does in her artistry is a negative piece of work that solely carries harm to her viewers and fanbase. Ice Spice has become a recent sex icon in hip-hop and social media. Known for her New York drill music and sexual appeal for having haters (munches). She is everywhere in the mainstream rising star making collaborations with A1 list celebrities such as Taylor Swift. She is more likely to show up on a child’s social media timeline than others. Moderating what your child is consuming is pivotal to regulating their behavior and norms. So North West reenacting as Ice Spice is not her downfall. However, inviting the star into your home and creating TikToks raises concerns. To preface, this is not to also generalize Ice Spice as a negative person. It’s a conversation about what your child is consuming and who they’re associating with. And meeting an influential person such as Ice Spice could only increase imitating her behaviors. North West isn’t at fault nor is Ice Spice, North’s parents need to conversate more about what their child i s consuming on social medias.
In general, it’s hard to classify how children should act in this day and age without coming into conflict with their own individuality and their family background. The idea of parenting is pretty modern based on how long humanity has been around, and the role children play in the world is ever-changing. Some kids currently in elementary and middle school look different from how I did as a kid, but they’re still young and they want to make sense of the world around them too. This article’s rant about wokeness does point out something that I believe should be addressed. While I think the first half of this article was written in a clumsy fashion regarding gender identity and experimentation on that front, children’s exposure to the Internet is inevitable. In response to this, adults need to better understand the Internet and the world, so that they can help their children navigate through topics that are mired in politics and other controversy. I know some content online is age-restricted and some parents don’t even allow their children to have social media when they’re minors, but these limitations are pretty easy for kids to overcome. Kanye West’s stance is a fair one, and Kim’s blatant disregard for it is a whole other issue between the two of them, but we cannot backtrack to a time before Internet and what we believe to be typical childhood is prone to change. If children are going to be exposed to what’s online anyhow, we as adults need to be prepared to address their actions that respond to whatever stimuli they consume.
The author’s concerns surrounding children being on the internet is indeed valid because it might be harmful to expose them to so many things so early. It is also easy to get distracted by the internet even for many adults, meaning it is much easier for children. Furthermore, it can result in children needing public gratification for being on the internet like North West might be when she posted online with Ice Spice. This makes children feel like they need others to validate them rather than having them validate themselves.
I agree that the internet is taking children away from innocence is already a problem. Children’s cognitive functions need time to grow, and it is awful to be exposed to harmful content when their cognition of the world has not completely formed. For example, a toddler who does not yet understand life is exposed to a video of cruelty to creatures, which may trigger a series of adverse effects. They may not understand the difference between the cruelty in the video and the moral and ethical concepts in real life, leading to confusion or distortion in their attitudes toward life. With the development of science and technology, it is inevitable for children to be exposed to the internet early, but society and parents need to supervise and filter the internet content that children encounter effectively.
I agree that the internet is taking children away from innocence is already a problem. Children’s cognitive functions need time to grow, and it is awful to be exposed to harmful content when their cognition of the world has not completely formed. For example, a toddler who does not yet understand life is exposed to a video of cruelty to creatures, which may trigger a series of adverse effects. They may not understand the difference between the cruelty in the video and the moral and ethical concepts in real life, leading to confusion or distortion in their attitudes toward life. With the development of science and technology, it is inevitable for children to be exposed to the internet early, but society and parents need to supervise and filter the Internet content that children encounter effectively.
Interesting piece. I like how the author phrased “innocence in exchange for wokeness”. This is a compelling way to put things into perspective and I do agree that Kanye has a logical point with his wants for his children. For me, this concept of children growing up quickly is one that frequents my mind particularly when I see the way girls dress in middle school today, compared to myself back when!
I don’t see a problem with allowing kids to explore their gender identity, but I do agree that kids today seem to be growing up a lot faster. It is kind of disheartening to see 8-9 year olds with iPhones and full access to social media. I think the Internet is a dangerous place, especially for young children who don’t even know half of what they are looking at. I think there’s a bigger rush to grow up nowadays, which is sad to me because as we make medical advances, people live longer, which should allow kids to enjoy their childhood a bit longer.
I feel like this argument towards internet usage and innocence is incredibly reflective of how much effort parents really are spending on, well, parenting. The increase of children on the internet I feel is a symptom of parents not really caring, or not knowing, about the dangers of the internet. I find it increasingly common in public to see children completely unsupervised on phones or I-pads, and yet somehow it is the fault of the internet that your kids end up social rejects.
I agree that kids should encouraged to act their age, but I think that as society advances, these norms will obviously shift and look different than they did for past generations. It is difficult to navigate the sudden increased exposure to technology that will inevitably occur at a young age. For past generations, there was no technology to be exposed to as there is now, so it is more important to teach kids how to be safe on the internet rather than try to get them to stay off the internet. In terms of gender norms, the parenting mentioned in the article is on the extreme end and parents could introduce small things outside of the gender norms such as allowing boys to play with dolls and girls to play with toy cars and allow them to explore their gender on their own.
While I agree that in some aspects kids should be protected by their parents and encouraged to act their age, I think this is difficult to navigate with the obvious increased exposure to technology that will be inevitable at a young age. When past generations were young they did not even have a choice to be shielded from the internet because there was no internet. At this point it is highly improbable that parents will be able to keep their kids off the internet and should instead focus on how to keep them safe on the internet. In terms of teaching them gender norms, I think the parenting method that you have mentioned is on the extreme end but it is important that parents allow their children to be exposed to things outside of the gender norms such as letting boys wear pink or letting girls play sports.
The average age for marriage and the average age for someone to have their first child has been climbing for roughly the past 130 years. I think kids now are given a lot more time than the in the past to decide what they want to do with their lives. In terms of gender, which it seems you are really trying to get at here; I have definitely seen some parents pushing to far to make their kids break gender norms and roles. But this scenario is not as common as you make it out to be and certainly does not define the generation. When everyone says that gender is social construct, what that generally means in terms of child rearing is that they will let their girls play baseball and their boys join ballet if they want to. You are looking at very extreme examples of what may be a new type of parenting.
Personally, I share Kanye’s view on this issue. Kids these days are simply no longer given the option of being children, staying innocent and pure, because if they do that then they, along with their family, will be labeled discriminatory against something. Adults have the cognitive development to make somewhat sound decisions on what they believe and how to act, but children dont. They dont have the cognitive development nor do they have the objective resources to make these decisions and form these beliefs that adults do.