Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?

Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?

Having children or working close with children in this present time and age can never be compared to the days of the past. Anyone who has the responsibility of raising children can easily agree to the fact that there are a lot of dramatic changes in the modern days, which have been ignited by modern culture. Modernity is an important aspect of the lives of humans. Historians agree to the fact that it began in the 19th century and its main aim was to make the society a better place in terms of science. Modernization has its roots in Western countries. This is the reason why Americans and the Europeans have been on the move in ensuring that the world is aligned with them. Many children, due to modernization have had access to basic education. Many of them have been taught using educational models that have been based on modernity hence acquired the modern culture, which has had a huge influence on their childhood.

Childhood is being "poisoned" by a culture of junk food, marketing, video games and school targets, experts have warned.

Rapid technological advances and a lack of interaction with "real-life" adults - as opposed to via a computer screen - are leading to a rise in the number of children suffering psychological and behavioural problems, they said.

Sue Palmer, author of the book Toxic Childhood, said children remain fundamentally the same, despite social, cultural and technological changes in the past 20 years. "Our world is so modern and technological we think children are going to be modern and technological as well," she said. "But they are still the same biological creatures. We must remember that children need interaction with real-life adults."

You hear it from parents, teachers and adult neighbors, family members and friends. In a speech that might begin, “When I was your age …”, the grown-up describes how life, or at least his or her memory and perception of it, used to be. Have you had these sorts of conversations? If so, what the adults say? What are the biggest differences they perceive between today and “back in the day”?         

Anyone with children, or who is regularly in contact with children, will know that childhood is radically different to the one they remember. The prevalence of technology and especially social media has changed what it means to be a child almost beyond recognition. With such dramatic changes, is it possible that modern culture is ruining what childhood is?

The most challenging thing that the modern culture has brought with it is ‘helicopter parenting’. Every parent wishes the best for their children. They want their children to be safe, happy and feel loved. However, in the modern society today, many children stay within the four walls of their house having access to the outside world through screens. Experiencing the outside world forms an essential part of every child’s growth. However, the lack of it denies the child the ability to develop important skills such as conflict management, decision making, and team skills.

The biggest problem reported by carers of children is that they engage less in imaginative play. Modern technology means that their attention is being demanded by more and more things, so they don’t have the time or inclination to play. If they have more and more video games or ways to access TV, why would they have to make up their own games?There’s also the issue of what children can access online. Before the advent of the internet, carers could control what information a child had access to. Now, though, a child can find almost anything online. This can be a real danger if they come across material that’s too mature or graphic for them.

I don't wanna hear another person say, "think of all the possibilities, what with learning and education online." Because the truth is, no child I've ever met got on their tablet to practice times tables and learn about physics. Children are inclined to follow their interests online, and most of the time, it's not educational. They want to learn the way the world works, and who to be based on bad influences. They no longer learn on their own, and that's a scary thought, knowing that children are a hodgepodge of what they see and do,and news flash, a lot of it's online. It's too late for return, and now parents have to deal with the consequences of a curios child searching up on google what they should become.

In the Op-Ed article “The Kids Are Not All Right,” Joel Bakan argues that inadequate regulations let corporations market their goods and services to children — to the extent of threatening childhood itself.

Children are buried in their iPads. According to Is modern Culture Ruining childhood by Shannon Doyne, "Children ages six to eleven spend nearly sixty percent, weekly, on their tablet." Statistics say that thirteen percent of children are on their device for over five hours, and five to ten year olds spend over four hours of screen time. That's too much time taken out of their twenty-four hour day. In 1995, children spend half of those hours in front of the TV. The information children now have access to is causing them and forcing them to grow up very rapidly. Some adults also believe that technology is destroying family life, and half may also believe that allowing a child unrestricted access to the Internet is a form of child abuse. Technology grows more and more throughout the years and even at early ages children are being allowed to use them and have access them. Even throughout the toddler stage an grade school ages children are learning how to work technology.

With all this technology going around you can't help but think, "how are young children going to be educated? How are they, the educators or teachers, going to teach them?" Children have been learning many things with the internet, but has it ruined childhood?  Is modern culture ruining childhood? Yes. Childhood is being stripped away from children because of this technology or so called modern culture.