Childhood

Is Childhood Disappearing?

Is Childhood Socially Constructed?
Childhood is not a natural biological state, rather it is a social role and the norms attached vary across societies.

Childhood can be biologically determined such as the end of puberty or socially determined such as when society says someone is an adult.

In modern Britain, society determines adulthood when an individual reaches the age of legal entitlement (18).

However, children do not just become adults, as there is a lengthy transition from childhood, throguh adolescence into adulthood, with f=gradual picking up of legal entitlements.

Children can work from 14.

Sexual consent is 16.

Driving is 17.

Separation of Childhood and Adulthood
Not fixed across times, places and cultures.

Children are physically and psychologically immature compared to adults.

Children are dependent on adults for a range of biological and emotional needs (hence socialisation)

Children are not competent on running their own lives and cannot be held responsible for their own actions.

Social Construction of Childhood in modern British Society

Child specific places

Several laws preventing children from doing certain things.

Products specifically for children.

Comparative Approach

Child Labour
In some cultures, children are seen as an economic asset, expected to engage in paid work

Child Soldiers
In conflict, young teenage boys may be recruited to fight, effectively taking on very serious adult responsibilities.

Forced Marriage
Young teenage girls often coerced into arranged marriages without consent (Ethiopia)

Aries argued ‘mini adults’ as works of period art depicted children as ‘mini adults’- childhood is a recent invention.

Shorter argued that parental attitudes of previous times meant it was not worth separating the two due to high infant mortality rates.

March of Progress View

Positive view that childhood is improving since the 1800s.

Work
1878 Factories Act banned employment of children under 10, as well as children must remain in education until they are 18.

Education
1880 Education Act made schooling compulsory.
Increase in school leaving age
Large governmental expenditure in standards and equality of education.

Legislation
Army service/ sexual consent = 16
Alochol restrictions = 18
Smacking in England is legal if ‘reasonable’
Social services established and developed

Rights
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

  • To be heard
  • To an education

Medicalisation of Birth and Childcare
Lower infant and maternal mortality
Regulation and funding by NHS

Expenditure
Children are no longer economic assets.
They also consume time (35 mins a day)

Is Society Becoming Child-Centred?

Cunningham argues a child centred society has three main features:

  • Opposite of adulthood
  • Child and adult worlds are separated
  • `childhood is associated with rights.

Conflict theorists disagree with this March of Progress view

Recent technologies have resulted in significant harms to children

Children are too controlled Furedi

  • Paranoid parenting

Significant inequalities between children

Distinction between adulthood and childhood is narrowing

  • Neil Postman

Argued childhood emerged with mass literacy, childhood was distinctive by those who could and could not read.

Postman argues in a contemporary society new technologies such as TV blur this separation as children a re more able to access the adult world.

  • Kidults
  • Children have the same rights as an adult
  • Children often used in interview panels for new teachers.
  • Growth of internet or social media exposes children to adult content.

Criticisms

Jenks argues technologies have not resulted in the disappearance of childhood.

They have led to parents thinking children need to be more protected

Toxic Childhood Rapid technological and cultural changes cause psychological and physical damage to children.

Palmer

Decline of Outdoor Play
Decrease of socialisation and linked to increased childhood obesity.

Commercialisation of Childhood
Children are exploited by advertisers

7% of 11-17 year olds current users of vapes compared to 3.3% in 2021

  • Initially an adult alternative to smoking

Schoolification of early childhood
Reduces independence

Decline of listening, language and communication skills
Shortened attention spans.

Screen Saturation
Reduces face to face interaction

Tests, targets and education
Increases anxiety among children.

Evaluations

  • Moral panic
  • Rather children consumers than producers.