Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?

Throughout the centuries, children have been raised to develop skills that will allow them to succeed in life once they have grown to a certain age. From either working in: the fields, factories, mines, etc. Even though those were extreme environments for kids to work, they had a mindset of wanting to help their family. Now, children are “babied” and don’t know how to take care of themselves if left alone. Because of this, is modern culture ruining childhood?

When social media and technology became part of children’s everyday lives, the way they interact with others has been influenced though television, advertisements, tabloids etc. “The average child sees more than 20,000 commercials each year (12). More than 60% of commercials promote sugared

Having expectations that might not be possible for their child. “A reliable body of research shows that we expect our children to do things they're not yet able to do and that we judge and punish them according to that expectation” (Kazdin). It continues to show that because there may be more opportunities, that doesn’t mean that parents should continue to expect their children to be more than what they are. There’s also the added pressure of getting good grades, act happy all the time, and try not to get in trouble. Since there has been more advances and knowledge in jobs, kids are being pushed to be more than what they are or can

This is one reason why children either just stay inside and not ask their parents to go out and hang out with their friends. Although, Dafoe Whitehead, a social historian and author who studies family issues says, "Over-parenting is not letting your kids take the consequences of their actions, swooping down to rescue them, and the result would be a spoiled brat. But helicopter parenting is entirely different, and I think it is a positive style of child-rearing." Yes, it may be entirely different to her, but Susan Newman, the author of "Nobody's Baby Now: Reinventing Your Adult Relationship With Your Mother and Father," would say otherwise, "I've seen a lot of these children who are parented in the helicopter manner who can't make a decision. They are calling home constantly: 'I don't get along with my roommate, what should I do? My roommate ate my food, what should I do'?". This shows that helicopter parenting isn’t healthy for the well being of a child. Killing their imagination and not allowing them to gain any experience in a real world type of