Childhood | Is Childhood Disappearing

Why is childhood disapearing?

• Sociologists, such as Pilcher, have argued that childhood is a period of ‘separateness’ distinct from adult life

• Neil Postman (1994) argued that childhood is disappearing and that children are becoming more like little adults in contemporary society

• This forms a key debate in the study of childhood

What are the reasons for childhood disappearing?

• Children’s mental health

• Social class difference in childhood experience

• Control over children

• Sexualisation of Childhood

• Toxic childhood

Why is children’s mental health a reason for why childhood is disappearing?

• Children in the UK are amongst the unhappiest in the developed world according to Womack (2011)

• According to the Children’s Society, 1 in 10 children have a mental health condition in UK in 2018

• According to WHO (2003), 20% of adolescents will have mental health problems in a given year

• Females more likely to show psychological distress than males- DfE 2019

Social class difference in childhood experience a reason for why childhood is disappearing?

• 4.2 million children living in poverty in 2018-19 according to the Children Poverty Action Group- estimated that this will increase to 5.2 million by 2022

• Over 300,000 underage of 24 providing more than 35 hours of care a week

• According to DfE (2019), 17% of children are bullied, with deprivation being the cause of bullying

Why is control over children a reason for why childhood is disappearing?

• Sociologists such as Gittens (1998) and Hood-Williams (1990) children are subjected to controls under what is termed an age patriarchy

• Adult males control the children’s lives in several ways, governing their time, space, bodies and access to resources

• Myall (2004) has suggested that traditional views of childhood focus on adult control over children’s lives, however, changes have occurred in recent years- e.g. UN Convention on Rights of the Child

Why is sexualisation of childhood a reason for why childhood is disappearing?

• Children’s clothing ranges are adopting more adult themes, producing smaller versions of adult styles leading to a sexualisation of children

• The decrease in the average age of first sexual intercourse from 20 in the 1950s to 16 in 2001 demonstrates changing attitudes to intimate relationships

• Claims of historical sexual abuse in recent years have led to increased legislation to protect children- previously these claims were dismissed

Why is toxic childhood a reason for why childhood is disappearing?

• Palmer suggested that many children are now suffering from toxic childhood syndrome (2015)

• Access to electronic media, poor diets, long hours in childcare or wrap-around care and parenting styles have all negatively impacted the experience of children

• Palmer suggests this has led to an increase in mental health conditions and anti-social behaviours

What are the evaluations of why childhood is disappearing?

• Childhood experiences are intersectional- based on class, gender and ethnicity and therefore often depend upon a range of social factors

• Despite childhood disappearing the ‘clipped wing’ generation and ‘boomerang’ children suggest that young adults are often not prepared for the adult world

• Tosi and Grundy (2018) found that almost a quarter of young adults were still living with their parents, the highest recorded since 1996